African countries must incorporate financial literacy into the educational curriculum right from the basic schools.
“ The current high rate of financial illiteracy is a challenge and impediment to economic growth and prosperity”.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba said Markets in Africa had a key role of encouraging the culture of digital investing and wealth creation by widening their scope to the grassroots.
“Africa can not make any impact on global trade with the present rate of our financial literacy which is slightly above 30 per cent.”
He said it was therefore incumbent to build a solid foundation by assisting Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises to update the digital systems and have active participation of both providers and consumers of goods and services
“With the power of the mobile phone,more financial information and publication should be accessible.
“We have to catch up with global trends in business and trade and the younger generations should be empowered by the exposure of financial data and its application to create wealth beyond our borders”.
He said stock Market brokers should also intensify their marketing approach to the rural areas through rural banks and micro financial institutions.
“African Continental Free Trade Area still looks like an exclusive policy think tank rather than a radical trade organisation which is badly needed to promote effective intra trade within the continent.
“There’s no shortcut to economic prosperity than a good financial literacy with discipline”.