Oluwakemi Banjo

Driving Reforms and Innovation at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

“My goal was to contribute in some way to Nigeria’s economic transformation. I applied to the AIG Public Leaders Programme to garner the knowledge, skills and competencies that will enable me to position effectively for the continued realisation of this goal,” - Oluwakemi Banjo, AIG PLP Cohort 3 Alumnus

Oluwakemi Banjo is the Head of Change, Culture and Innovation at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). With a passion for contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic transformation, she applied for the AIG Public Leaders Programme.  

“It became a goal for me in 2010 to contribute in some way to Nigeria’s economic transformation journey. The ability to apply a set of principles in order to realise a set of goals has always intrigued me. I applied to the AIG Public Leaders Programme to garner the knowledge, skills and competencies that will enable me to position effectively for the continued realization of this goal,” she says. 

She tells how she incorporated her learnings from the programme in her reform project in the CBN. Her reform project focuses on developing the CBN Customer Orientation Course, an e-learning product aimed at improving staff ability to deliver excellent customer experiences across the 40 locations and 67 Business Units of the CBN.  

Through the collaborative effort of a cross-functional team, including change practitioners, digital authors, and curriculum developers, they designed a 6-module course covering areas of exceptional public service, patriotism, core values, customer orientation, service excellence, and overcoming complacency. The course was uploaded on the CBN Open Online Learning (COOL) platform.  

She affirms that the team has received positive impact stories from the course’s Pilot Run about its effectiveness and how it has contributed to the behavioural change of the learners.  

“We are leveraging its ripple effect to close the gap between the baseline and target scores. If sustained, the scope can be enlarged for other behavioural changes within the CBN. The model can also be applied to amplify service excellence in the larger MDA community,” she says. 

This project will impact the ability of CBN staff to deliver excellent customer experience and improve workforce competency, contributing to effective service delivery across the 40 locations and 67 business units of the CBN. 

Because of this project, the quality of services citizens receive from the CBN will significantly improve. The project will also result in a transparent and efficient banking system that positively impacts the economy, and ultimately, the lives of citizens.