Okeremi, who is also the event’s chief organiser, said in a statement that fintech had helped shaped banking operations with seamless and simple innovative solutions across the globe.

He noted that in spite of the breakthrough and large success recorded by fintech in redefining financial service, the ecosystem still falls short of talents to grow the market for sustainability.

“The disruption has helped to deepen the global financial inclusion and boost economic output.

“In Nigeria, the fintech ecosystem has grown to become a leading network in Africa’s financial service industry through innovative solutions in lendtech, insurtech and  wealth tech, among others.

“The Nigeria fintech industry is regarded as a dominant force in Africa in this regard.

“However, in spite of the huge potential of fintech, access to and retention of best-in-class talent is still a growing concern within the industry,” Okeremi said.

He noted that according to a PwC report in 2017, 77 per cent of the CEOs surveyed viewed skills shortages as business threats.

Okeremi said that research has shown that the local educational systems were not providing the necessary skills to train students in today’s AI-driven industries.

“Many businesses lag behind due to the lack of talents and resources to bring their innovative ideas to life.

“In part, the fintech talents gap is justified and even self-explanatory: the industry is relatively new and has to nurture new talents to meet its challenges.

“The number of people that are proficient in finance and technologies is still low; needless to say, they are in high demand and command high salary.

“Skills such as blockchain, programming languages – Python, GoLang, SQL, JavaScript and Java ML, AI, deep Learning and  cybersecurity creativity are at short-fall in the industry,” Okeremi said.

He said that to bridge this gap, the organiser of Lagos Fintech Week 2020 had incorporated Fintech Talents Summit (FTS) into the annual week-long event to build a high capacity talent-base for the ecosystem.

“The Fintech Talents Summit (FTS) is a space where multi-disciplinary stakeholders from the private sector can discuss the trends and solutions for the future of work and education in financial technology space”.

“FTS will attract strategists, key opinion leaders and relevant stakeholders to shape the future of talents in Fintech through education, innovation, and recruitment, “Okeremi said.

He said that FTS was co-located within Lagos Fintech Week and will hold on April 14 at Tech Zone, Gbagada, Lagos.

“Lagos Fintech Week is organized by Fintech 1000+, the largest Fintech group in Africa comprising regulators, bank CEOs, government, investors, insurers, Fintech firms and the media,” he said(NAN)