E-Payment Providers Association would at its 7th edition of its quarterly Techno-Interactive Forum this month, focus on ‘Mobile Payment and the changing Financial Landscape in Nigeria.’

The forum will feature presentations from regulatory officials and payment experts including, Mr. A.S. F. Atoloye, Director, Banking & Payment Systems Department, Central Bank of Nigeria; Mr. Sylvester Ehikioya, Director, New Media & Information Security, Nigerian Communication Commission; and Mrs.

Ify Umenyi, Director General/ CEO, Consumer Protection Council. Others are Mr. Chuma Ezirim, Head, Cards and Channels Management, First Bank Nigeria Plc; Mr. Ike Nnamani, President, Medallion Communications Limited; and Mr. Emmanuel Okeagwale, Principal Associate, Mobile Money Africa.

Also, Onajite Regha, the Executive Secretary/CEO will presenting a paper at the forum.

The Association in statement said, “ Mobile usage has seen an explosive growth in most of the African countries. The rapid spread of mobile phones in Nigeria has seen mobile users already exceeding the number of banked people in the country.

According to EFInA, 2010, 56.4 million adults in Nigeria have access to a mobile phone and 32.3 million of them are unbanked. There are 49.2 million adults who own a mobile phone while 25.5 million of them are unbanked.

”The implication of this is that using this channel for financial services may not only reduce the cost of financial transactions for provider and customer, but also allow new entrants to the financial sector, and new relationships to be formed for distributing services.

“This holds the prospect of accelerating access to financial services on the back of the mobile infrastructure.”

Seeing these possibilities, the CBN recently gave “Approval in Principle” to 16 companies for mobile banking.

”E-PPAN will be hosting an industry forum to share knowledge and bring further insights to how best we can create an enabling environment for the successful sustenance of mobile payment in Nigeria.

Discussions at the event will focus on how Nigeria can consciously provide a set of conditions which promote a sustainable trajectory of market development in such ways to promote socially desirable outcomes which will ensure that investments in mobile banking is adequately protected and consumers do not pay for uncertainties in the mobile payments environments.