By Elizabeth Chukwuma
Liadi Ayoku, a Group Executive Director, United Bank For Africa, UBA, has advocated an overhaul of the University curriculum, particular, financial institutions across Africa to reflect current technological realities.
The overhaul of the University curriculum. according to Ayoku, the UBA Executive Director should reflect the modern business expectations of the present day in order to ensure the relevance of graduates to the continent’s economic growth and aspiration.
The UBA, top shot, who spoke at the annual lecture of the Faculty of Management Sciences, Lagos State University ,LASU, explained that finance graduates and professionals must be aware that it was no longer business as usual following the fast-changing technological landscape. Speaking on ”The Future of Finance-technology at play on in the University on Wednesday, June 19, 2019, he lamented “I am not certain if the finance and accounting graduates of today are familiar with modern financial software packages, including global accounting and financial reporting standards”.
he noted that they have even been imbibed with the ready-to-market soft skills like leadership, communication, commercial acumen, flexibility/openness to change and strategic vision?, which makes s the case of financial graduates more worrisome. It is therefore, not surprising why he has proposed an overhaul of the university Financial curriculum to accommodate theseinadequacies of finance and accounting graduates.The UBA top Executive further explained that with technology replacing basic manual financial accountings , the” finance professional that would excel in the future must be quick to retool and adapt to changes”.
According to him, ”traditional knowledge of finance is getting stale in today’s business world and” and indeed the dire need for retooling our skills if we must remain relevant n tomorrow’s financial world. ”Technology is fast replacing the basics of finance,” he had said.
Given an insight about the modern business trend, he disclosed that financial reporting is increasingly being automated, just as data analytics is demystifying performance analysis. Tomorrow’s finance professionals must have capabilities for business intelligence and cognitive analysis. “We must appraise ourselves of the most recent technology and continue to retool our skills to remain relevant today and into the future,” he had said.
Rotimi Oladele, the Executive Secretary, Institute of Entrepreneurship and the Chairman of the occasion, was aid to have , commended Ayoku for delivering a profound paper worthy of equipping account graduates for a future driven by technology.
The event may
Describing the UBA Chairman, not just as a” Nigerian of rare value but a Premium African of rarer value and of course a Global Brand of rarest value”.
Throwing more light to his impression of the global icon and entrepreneur he noted that he is known the world over, particular Africa, for” breeding entrepreneurs and start-ups in thousands and with millions of dollars ceaselessly in support for sustainability”.
Olade, the Chairman of the occasion, who was quick to point out insists that” LASU partnering with Elumelu could be the best testimonial of a befitting support to the most multi-cultural and multi-tribal university in Nigeria. The profile of LASU Staff and studentship speaks for itself,” he said.
Lanre Fagbohun, a Professor and the University
