enhance the important role you will play in influencing policy and strategic outcomes. my final message in this context is, therefore, an invitation to consider how we can support each other and develop stronger relationships, communicating with consumers together at a grassroots level to ensure that they are in a position to make informed and confident financial decisions. i am sure it was long and difficult road to get where you are today, and the launch will certainly not remove all obstacles on the road ahead. i therefore wish to urge you to continue working hard towards your objectives of protecting and educating consumers in namibia of their rights in all sectors of the economy. director of ceremonies, ladies and gentlemen, i thank you for your kind attention. bis central bankers ’ speeches

practice. the code shall set out the banking industry ’ s key commitments and obligations to customers on standards of practice, disclosure and principles of conduct in relation to banking services. director of ceremonies, in terms of the best practices, the code shall provide that contract between the commercial banks and customers shall have a clear, plain and simple terms, for the understanding of which no special knowledge is required. a very good example to draw from is when president obama signed the new credit card bill of rights into law, he challenged the industry to create a simple, easy to understand credit card agreement that you “ don ’ t need a law degree or a magnifying glass to understand. ” this means eliminating provisions and confusing terminology used by lawyers for reasons of tradition or habit, replaces the legalistic with plain - language, and introduces information design to enhance readability and comprehension. it is thus the intention of the bank that contracts should be simple, short, and preferable designed to fit on one or two pages. the other key aspect of this code will be to enforce good lending practices by banks to avoid over - indebtedness. banks will, therefore, be expected to act in the best interest of its customers by ensuring that they know and understand the customer ’ s needs, only offer them products and services that are suitable to such needs, and provide them with information to enable them to make informed choices. the code will further require banks to have in place effective complaints handling procedures and appropriate timelines within which complaints should be dealt with. this also means that banks will be directed to be the first “ port - of - call ” to offer redress for customers, by having dedicated complaints desks to handle customer grievances. at this juncture i wish to inform you that the bank of namibia, together with the industry, will issue the said draft code of good banking practice, during the course of this year for public comments. therefore, director of ceremonies, i humbly request the audience present in this room to spend time and do justice to all consumer protection initiatives, which we bis central bankers ’ speeches all agree are close to our hearts by providing extensive comments to the bank on the draft consultative paper. director of ceremonies, ladies and gentlemen, the other initiative being pursued by both the bank of namibia and our sister regulator, the namibia financial institutions supervisory authority, is the establishment of financial services ombuds office, in terms of the draft financial institutions and markets bill. this office will be financed and