new areas, such as fund and wealth management, also gaining increased significance. in the more recent period, domestic islamic financial institutions have ventured on business opportunities beyond the domestic shores to tap the tremendous potential markets abroad, particularly, in the asian region. banking institutions therefore, need to build their capacity to be able to take advantage of these potential markets that are still relatively untapped. ladies and gentlemen, against the backdrop of the rapid expansion of the islamic finance sector, there is also the need to intensify efforts to provide adequate training at all levels - technical and frontline staff, middle management and senior management levels. this is important to ensure a sustained supply of human talent to support the long - term growth of islamic finance. to meet this requirement, a complete training infrastructure has been established. islamic banking and finance institute malaysia ( ibfim ), which is an industry - owned training institute, will now focus on providing technical programmes in islamic finance. the recently launched international centre for education in islamic finance ( inceif ) will provide professional certification as well as postgraduate programmes. the inceif flagship programme, the certified islamic finance professional certification programme, is scheduled to begin on 1 june 2006. for leadership development programmes, iclif will play its role in developing leaders to serve the industry, providing facilities for education in islamic finance to not only support the development of the domestic islamic financial system, but to also position malaysia as an international centre for education in islamic finance. and in so doing, this will contribute towards the global development of islamic finance. industry players therefore have the opportunity to assist their staff to acquire the necessary skills at these institutions. the islamic financial institutions also require forward - looking leaders to steer the industry in the more demanding and challenging environment. ladies and gentlemen, the huge potential in islamic finance can only be realised if sufficient resources and drive are accorded to it. in conclusion, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the ambank group on the initiative to establish its own islamic banking subsidiary and provide the necessary resources and support to ensure its success. it is our hope that amislamic bank would be able to contribute effectively in the development of the islamic financial system. i wish amislamic bank berhad every success in its endeavours. dengan lafaz bismillahirrahmanirrahim, saya dengan sukacitanya merasmikan pelancaran amislamic bank berhad. terima ka

caleb m fundanga : strengthening the zambian banking sector address by dr caleb m fundanga, governor of the bank of zambia, at the commissioning and official opening of access bank ( zambia ) ltd, lusaka, 24 september 2008. * * * • h. e, acting president of republic of zambia, mr. rupiah banda m. p ; • honourable ministers ; • h. e nigerian high commissioner to zambia ; • access bank group deputy managing director ; • access bank zambia chairman ; • access bank zambia managing director ; • distinguished guests ; • ladies and gentlemen. i am greatly honoured to be given this opportunity to make brief remarks at this formal commissioning and opening of access bank ( zambia ) ltd. i wish to extend a warm welcome to all of you gathered here today, particularly those who have travelled from outside the country. your excellency, honourable ministers, today ’ s event is a crowning moment and demonstrates the fruits of the economic reforms that the government has continued to implement in the financial sector in particular and the economy in general. indeed it is a landmark achievement in the government ’ s concerted efforts aimed at attracting foreign investors. it is also gratifying to note that access bank zambia limited is the first bank to be registered in the country since 1999. i am also happy to inform you, ladies and gentlemen, that the bank of zambia is currently reviewing other applications for banking licenses. in this regard, we expect a few more banks to be registered in the near future. this interest we are witnessing in the financial sector is due to the favourable economic environment that has been created in the last seven years. during this period, the economy has performed relatively well as reflected in the overall macroeconomic stability, which has been underpinned by sustained positive growth rates in the real gross domestic product averaging over 5 % in the last five years. i do hope that access bank zambia, will play a special role in taking this growth to an even higher level. in the financial sector, stability has continued to characterize the financial system with all banks being adequately capitalised and non - bank financial institutions performance being satisfactory. i am convinced that this stability, among other factors, will continue to contribute to the attraction of international investors such as access bank to invest in zambia. it is my hope that with new entrants in the banking sector, the provision of financial services to the public will become more competitive both in terms of the variety of services offered, efficiency and pricing. the