Therefore wooing investment into this institution should not be difficult task. Such investment will go a long way in enhancing the quality of graduates this Institution will produce. BIS Review 23/2009  1  Mr President, it is during times of crisis such as the one we are undergoing that graduates should assist the industry in coming up with well researched constructive proposals and solutions on how challenges may be addressed within the context of our local environment. The prevailing global financial meltdown is in fact an opportunity for the institute to critically review its core operations and determine if its flagship education and training programmes as well as other learning environment initiatives such as research, consultancy, counselling and continuous professional development activities are robust enough to adequately serve our financial services sector, both in times of buoyancy and during periods of turbulence. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am reliably informed that the Institute is negotiating strategic alliances that will ensure high quality international standard flagship education and training programmes for professionals in Zambia’s financial services industry. I am equally pleased to note that that the Institute has direct representatio n on two working groups of the Financial Sector Development Plan (FSDP) – the Banking Working Group and the Human Resource Working Group. I have no doubt the FSDP stands to benefit from more representation from the Institute. I urge you Mr President and Council Members, to engage all the stakeholders in the financial sector including, Non-Bank Financial Institutions, Insurance Companies, Stock brokers and Pension Funds.

Namely, the final report on the Needs Analysis Programme for the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia contained 138 recommendations addressing the gaps in terms of the EU benchmarks established in 11 areas of central banking. It is my pleasure to point out that some of them have already been implemented, and some of them have been incorporated in the Strategic Plan of the NBRM, that is in the National Bank’s Plan of Activities for this year. However, the overall implementation of the recommendations will require additional technical assistance in terms of experience and knowledge of the ECB and the national central banks of the EU. Therefore, the inclusion of the NBRM in this regional project, which aims to facilitate the preparations for the implementation of the recommendations we received in the report on the Needs Analysis Programme for the NBRM, by establishing a Plan for their implementation, is very important. It will be the basis for the preparation and the implementation of a subsequent project, as well as the basis for further planning and promotion of the bilateral cooperation with the central banks with which the NBRM already has a traditional cooperation, but also for the establishing of a cooperation with other European central banks. The implementation of these and similar projects by the ECB and the EU in recent years, unequivocally confirms their continued determination, commitment and dedication to assist the central banks of the Western Balkan countries on their way to joining the ESCB, and later the Euro system.