Enugu Forum hosts Colloquium on Mortgage Finance

The 29th of October, 2008 saw Enugu Forum hold its periodic policy seminar. The policy colloquium was titled: The Challenges of Mortgage Finance in Nigeria - Questions of Access and Sustainability. The colloquium held at the Conference Hall of Sunshine Hotel, Enugu and was attended by participants from a wide variety of sectors in society, varying from the finance industry, civil society to the academia.

The session kicked off with a welcome address by the Executive Director of the Institute, Prof. Eric Eboh. In his address, he introduced the moderator, panellists and Discussants and gave a brief overview of the Enugu Forum and the relevance of the chosen theme in the context of the current economic and financial landscape. Mr. John Okoye of Zenith Bank PLC moderated the day’s proceedings.

There were three key speakers who addressed the issue from differing viewpoint. Stanley Ukeje, a Principal Economist with the Central Bank of Nigeria, spoke from an economic perspective, presenting a paper titled “Supply and Demand Perspectives on Mortgage Finance in Nigeria. The second speaker focussed on sharing his insights as a mortgage finance practitioner. Mr. Oloyede Obatoyinbo, Group Head, Mortgage Finance FCMB PLC, shared his practical experiences in Mortgage Finance, relating the challenges and opportunities faced in Mortgage Financing in Nigeria. Prof. R.A.C.E Achara, a legal practitioner and academic, rounded off the session of panellists with his presentation on the legal and regulatory bottlenecks of Mortgage Finance in Nigeria.

After the key presentations there was a lively open session in which participants elicited information, expressed doubts and made comments on the discussions conducted thus far. On the whole the colloquium reflected the keen interest of society in the chosen theme and can be considered a success.

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