Emir of Kano to Deliver Opening Keynote Address at the RFI Summit 2018

The organizers of the Responsible Finance & Investment (RFI) Summit 2018 are excited to announce the opening keynote speaker for the Summit, His Royal Highness Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, Emir of Kano.  His Royal Highness will share his experience engaged in advocating for sustainable economic development and the creation of a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable financial system. 

Emir Sanusi’s began his career as a banker until he was appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2009 and then Emir of Kano in 2014.  HRH Emir Sanusi won an international reputation as a reformer following the bail-out of nine lenders just weeks after taking office at the helm of the central bank, a move which many bankers say saved the financial sector in sub-Saharan Africa's second biggest economy from the brink of collapse.

In doing so, he sent shockwaves through the corporate establishment, sacking the chiefs of eight of the banks and felling pillars of Nigeria's financial aristocracy who had long seen themselves as beyond the reach of the regulators in doing so. After serving as central bank governor, HRH Emir Sanusi was crowned as Emir of Kano in 2014, succeeding his late great-uncle Dr. Ado Bayero. 

Throughout his career, HRH Emir Sanusi has promoted sustainable development, particularly through efforts to fight corruption not only in the financial sector but in the political system in Nigeria, winning him as many enemies at home as he has friends in the international investment community. 

Speaking on behalf of the RFI Summit organizers, Blake Goud, CEO of the RFI Foundation, said: “We are honored to have HRH Emir Sanusi delivering an opening keynote address at the RFI Summit 2018.  I look forward to HRH the Emir sharing his vision for how the financial sector, governments and the private sector need to change their perspective to deliver the authentic and dramatic changes needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Please visit the Summit website at www.rfisummit.org to register for the RFI Summit 2018.