that afi espouses. the government in the current fiscal year 2009 / 10 proposed to introduce branchless banking. this will enable banks to provide their services through agents with wide distribution networks and therefore legalizing agent banking and reducing costs of financial services. there has been a significant reduction of the proportion of our population that remains unbanked from 38 % in 2006 to 33 % in 2009 according to the national financial access surveys conducted by the cbk and financial sector deepening ( fsd ) kenya. this reduction in the unbanked is greatly attributed to the contribution of mobile phones as a channel for money transfer. the recent financial access survey also indicates that the proportion of our population accessing banking services increased from 19 % to 23 % between 2006 and 2009. however, 33 % of the population still has no access to any form of financial service and 27 % access financial services from the informal financial sector. despite the progress we have made towards expanding financial access, the majority of kenyans still lack access to formal financial services. we are therefore keen to draw on the wealth of experiences that are brought to the table by participants in this forum. we will, over the next three days, share experiences on smart financial inclusion policies that have worked elsewhere. we will thereafter adopt these policies to suit our respective countries as we work together to push forward the global financial access frontiers. mr. prime minister, this forum also comes at a time when the global economy is suffering a slow down, with economic activities weakened considerably. although there are signs of improvement, we are yet to see full recovery. globally, policy actions taken to mitigate the crisis have been geared towards maintaining effective and well functioning financial systems and to reinforce their resilience in order to guard their integrity. we have acted accordingly to ensure that our financial system remains sound, secure, stable, accessible and trusted. we are in constant vigilance that this remains the case and any action necessary to achieve this will be undertaken. with these few remarks, it is now my pleasant duty and honour to welcome the deputy prime minister and minister for finance to make a few remarks and to welcome you to address this forum. honourable deputy prime minister and minster for finance, you have the floor.

therefore within our reach to break these barriers and bring all persons with disabilities to the formal financial system. allow me now to focus on the reasons why it is paramount for the banking sector to deal with these constraints and pave way for persons with disabilities to access financial services. first, it is our responsibility to ensure that we continually put people ’ s needs at the core of banking business. this is one of the commitments that financial institutions made through the adoption of the kenya banking sector charter ( kbsc ) issued in 2019. customer centricity, which is the first pillar of the charter, not by accident, but by design, should be at the heart of product development. over the last few years, financial institutions are increasingly tailoring their products and services to the needs of their customers. this was especially the case during this period that we have been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. however, much more needs to be done particularly in segmenting the markets deeper to understand the needs of persons with disabilities. i am glad, this is already happening with the development of the deaf elimu banking app. second, we are on the road towards ensuring shared prosperity for all by 2030, engrained in the sustainable development goals ( sdgs ). this will only be achieved through building sustainable and inclusive communities that foster inclusion and equitable opportunities for all. it is 1 / 2 bis central bankers'speeches now widely appreciated that businesses can only be as successful as the societies they operate in and draw their existence from. environmental, social and governance ( esg ) considerations are now paramount in any organization ’ s strategy and operations. in this regard, ensuring that persons living with disabilities have the same opportunities to access financial services is an obligation that we have to step up to. third, the kenyan banking sector is known for its leading role in an array of areas ranging from innovation to supporting broader societal good including in education, health and the environment. this has spilled over to the east african region and beyond where kenyan banks are expanding their footprint. in the same breadth, the banking sector should also lead in enhancing inclusion of persons with disabilities. let me take this opportunity to implore upon the other players in kenya as well as in the region to follow this path. this will move us a step closer towards achieving shared prosperity for all. the central bank of kenya ( cbk ), is also walking the talk. we are involved in various initiatives in support of persons with disabilities. more specifically, cbk