will continue to conduct this year, aimed at scaling up the safe usage of digital financial services in the country. ladies and gentlemen, in accordance with this year's theme, we would like to implore consumers of financial services and products to take a keen interest in safeguarding their money by engaging with licensed financial institutions. in recent years, the bank of zambia has observed a rise in the number of individuals who have fallen victim to promoters of money circulation schemes, resulting in the loss of their hard earned income and jeopardising their future. this trend is deeply concerning. the general public is therefore urged to be vigilant and report all suspicious financial institutions to law enforcement agencies. at the same time we want warn all fraudsters that the law will catch up with them. esteemed guests, we firmly believe that the development and execution of national strategies on financial education and inclusion have established a robust framework that facilitates effective engagement among various stakeholders, including government, financial sector regulators, financial service providers, and the private sector. this collaborative effort has led to various initiatives to heighten awareness among the public regarding the availability and safe usage of financial products and services nationwide. an important milestone to note is the publication of financial education supplementary books for students in grades 1 to 12, which have been integrated into the school curriculum and translated into 7 local languages for grades 1 to 4. these books were developed through a collaborative effort by the ministry of finance and national planning, the curriculum development centre under the ministry of education, the bank of zambia, and other key stakeholders with the objective of providing our future generations with the essential knowledge about making well - informed financial decisions for their financial well - being. today, we will witness the official launch of the supplementary books. distinguished guests, as we have said before the finscope 2020 survey, revealed that there has been an increase in overall financial inclusion in zambia from 37. 3 % in 2009 to 69. 4 % in 2020. however, despite the increase, it has been observed that awareness levels regarding financial products and services remains low in rural areas. according to the findings of the 2022 micro, small, and medium enterprises finance survey, awareness levels regarding financial products and infrastructure tend to be higher among business owners in urban areas compared to those in rural areas. for example, the awareness level for business loans was 69. 7 percent in urban areas compared to 59. 1 percent in rural areas. similarly, awareness of property insurance 2 / 3 bis - central bankers'speeches stood

caleb m fundanga : media relations and the bank of zambia – a healthy interaction speech by dr caleb m fundanga, governor of the bank of zambia, at the official opening of the bank of zambia 12th media seminar, ndola, 5 october 2007. * * * • the chairperson • distinguished journalists • invited participants • ladies and gentlemen on behalf of bank of zambia and indeed my own behalf, i am pleased to welcome you all, to this bank of zambia sponsored annual seminar, which is the 13th in the series. further, it is also my great pleasure to welcome you to the city of ndola. ladies and gentlemen, as it is normally the case, some of you are participating for the first time. for those of you that are participating for the first time, let me inform you that this is your seminar and i urge you to participate freely and effectively. i know that your friends who have participated in the seminars before, will agree with me that, every year that we meet at such a forum, we meet as “ partners ” and it is certainly in the interest, of not only us gathered here but the nation at large that this spirit is exhibited through out this seminar, and beyond. in fact, let me thank the media for having embraced this partnership and worked towards maintaining it. the bank of zambia - media relations have been quite healthy, partly due to annual interaction through media seminars. let me reiterate facets of the media namely, education and information to which the bank of zambia attaches a lot of importance, and forms the guiding principles for the formats of all media seminars organized by the bank. we in the bank believe that an effective or indeed a well informed media is key in the country ’ s development efforts. it is in this regard that the bank will continue to work towards the provision of quality information and / or education to the media as evidenced by the continued holding of such seminars coupled with quarterly media briefs. such efforts as you may be aware are not for our own interests but the zambian stakeholders. this is as it should be. distinguished journalists ; may i humbly urge you, to actively participate in the deliberations of this seminar. let me hasten to mention, particularly to those of you that are participating for the first time that you may not be able to completely grasp the materials that will be presented during the seminar. this must not discourage you, as you are free to make followups with the respective departments ( and indeed officers