is channeled namely, financial service providers, most of whom are participating in this exhibition. no matter what kind of financing, be it government, donor or private financing, it is channeled through our financial institutions. as earlier stated, the main reason this exhibition is being held is to showcase how our financial institutions are contributing to financing for gender equality. i also hope that the exhibition will encourage increased access to financial services by not only women but also men from all walks of life. ladies and gentlemen, the 2005 finscope survey undertaken by finmark trust confirmed that levels of access to financial services in zambia are extremely low. fewer than 15 % of adult zambians are reported to have had access to commercial banks. of the 15 %, the majority were men. therefore more needs to be done to enable women have increased access to financial services. this is why one of the strategic objectives of the bank of zambia in its 2008 - 2011 strategic plan is to promote financial inclusion. the more financial services are extended to ordinary citizens and small business enterprises, the more there will be a greater proportion of women amongst those receiving these services. we should note that it is women who have special needs in terms of access to financial services. in small businesses, such as small scale farming and market trading, it is very important to have a safe place to save money, maintain working capital and also access loan facilities. ladies and gentlemen, as we discuss financing for gender equality, there are fundamental questions we need to ask ourselves such as : • are services available from a financial service provider more to the advantage of men, rather than women? • are men ’ s interests served more than women ’ s? • do financial service providers enable women to overcome discrimination against them in their economic life? i believe these questions will be answered positively by the institutions present here. ladies and gentlemen, i am happy to inform you that among the products on exhibition here, we have finance building society marketing loans without collateral. this is a very welcome development as one of the challenges to women accessing finance is the requirement for collateral which most do not have. we also have the united nations country office with all their respective agencies participating in this exhibition to show case how they are supporting women in this country. we appreciate your collaboration with us in this exhibition. the environmental council of zambia has also joined with the financial institutions to increase our awareness on environmental issues and thus promote sustainable development. distinguished ladies and gentlemen, i believe the next two days will be very inform

##ative and rewarding. we have 10 commercial banks, 2 building societies and over 10 microfinance institutions exhibiting their products. i understand that tomorrow, these institutions will be recognizing some of their most loyal and exemplary customers and for this i commend them. i am sure that not only women but men will find this exhibition beneficial and i wish you a productive and informative two days. thank you.