After graduating 151 applicants from its diploma and certificate professional development programs, the Banking Institute of Liberia (BIL) expressed worry about the country’s educational system, pointing to the government’s failure to create and implement curricula in line with labor market expectations.
The Banking Institute of Liberia is the training arm of the Central Bank of Liberia and the Liberia Business Association aims to improve efficiency, service quality, and technical expertise in Liberia’s banking and financial sectors. Founded in March 2014 as a corporate training institute with a focus on banking, financial management, and non-financial professional disciplines.
Assistant Professor Richard S. Panton, speaking on behalf of the school, praised the graduates for making what he called a daring and determined move toward career advancement and thanked the Liberia Bankers Association and CBL for their ongoing assistance with the development of human capacity in the financial industry.
“We recognize that Liberia has a young population, most of whom lack employable skills, thereby limiting their access to available jobs. This situation is worsened by the education system’s inability to meet labor market needs. To address this gap, BIL introduced its enterprise program, which provides skills-based education tailored to both the public and private sectors,” Panton said.
According to Panton, the graduates completed BIL’s 2025 Enterprise Program, which consists of professional certificate and diploma programs intended to close competency gaps and improve performance in the public and private sectors, especially in the banking and finance industries pointing out that the diploma program caters to students and university graduates, the professional certificate program focuses on high school graduates and small and medium-sized business owners.
“Today, we are here to present professional certificates and graduate diplomas to 151 candidates who have successfully completed all training requirements,” he disclosed.
Olalekan Balogun, President of the Liberia Bankers Association and Managing Director of Bloom Bank, gave the keynote speech and praised BIL for its collaboration and engagement, stating that human resource development is essential to both national progress and professional ethics. He cautioned that, as the financial industry progressively shifts to digital banking and AI-powered platforms, Liberians should cultivate a strong desire for ongoing professional growth.
