T HE ROLE OF MEDIA IN PROMOTING FINANCIAL LITERACY AS A TOOL FOR ENHANCING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE Presented by PHILLIP ISAKPA EDITOR BusinessDay

OUTLINE The power of media in the 21 st century Growing importance of financial literacy Media and financial literacy: the complex nexus How media enhance financial literacy and confidence What has media done so far? The task before us

T HE POWER OF MEDIA IN THE 21 ST CENTURY

M EDIA IN N IGERIA Size of Nigeria’s media apparatus (2000 Estimates) Number of Television Sets7.9million Television Sets per 1,00059 Number of radio receivers43.5million Number of individuals with internet accessOver 500,000 Number of newspapers in circulation dailyOver 250 thousand copies Media refer collectively to all media technologies, including the Internet, television, newspapers, film and radio, which are used for mass communications, and to the organizations which control these technologies. Source:

T HE POWER OF MEDIA A recent study by the National Endowment for Financial Education (USA) found that just 10 hours of financial literacy instruction will prompt most teenagers to start saving. We saw in recent times the role media played in the revolutions in Egypt, Libya and other Middle East nations Research has found that employers who provide financial education in the workplace are repaid up to 3 times the cost through reduced absenteeism, less time spent at work dealing with personal financial matters, and increased productivity.

T HE POWER OF MEDIA An OECD Survey conducted in a number of countries confirmed that people want to learn economics and finance from mass media or new media. The reason being that they have access to mass media channels, use them on a daily basis and it does not require much effort on their part.

GROWING IMPORTANCE OF F INANCIAL L ITERACY SOME DEFINITIONS

D EFINING FINANCIAL LITERACY Financial literacy is the ability to make informed judgments and informed decisions regarding the use and management of money. The US Financial Literacy and Education Commission defines it as “the ability to make informed judgments and to take effective actions regarding the current and future use and management of money” Financial literacy is the ability to understand finance

A FINANCIALLY LITERATE INDIVIDUAL HAS … the capacity to know when to seek professional advice and what to ask, and the ability to understand the advice given by professional advisers. an understanding of the benefits and risks associated with particular financial decisions the ability to understand basic financial concepts, including the main attributes of different types of investments and other financial products basic numeracy skills, such as the ability to calculate rates of return on investments

W HY DOES FINANCIAL LITERACY MATTER TO INDIVIDUALS ? Financially literate consumers help to reinforce competitive pressures on financial institutions to offer more appropriately priced and transparent services It helps to improve the efficiency and quality of financial services. For regulators like NDIC, helping people to make informed financial decisions is central to protecting customers, promoting public awareness, and maintaining market confidence.

H OW DOES FINANCIAL LITERACY AFFECT FINANCIAL SYSTEMS ’ SOUNDNESS AND EFFICIENCY ? FL facilitates a more prudent management of household balance sheets, it could reduce lending risks for banks and other providers of credit. Improved FL could result in more discerning choice of investment and other financial products by consumers. This strengthens the incentives for financial institutions to respond innovatively to consumer demand, leading to a more dynamically efficient financial system. FL exerts stronger market disciplines on financial service providers by exercising greater scrutiny over the risks of particular financial institutions and their products, Well-informed investment decisions, based on a high level of FL, could be expected to result in a more productive allocation of resources through time, reflecting a more discerning approach to the balancing of risk and return.

A NY INDICATIONS FROM RESEARCH ON THE LEVEL OF FINANCIAL LITERACY ? An OECD survey (2005) found that individuals generally over-estimate their level of financial literacy. A 2003 survey in German found that, 80 percent of respondents reported that they were confident in their understanding of financial issues. However, when tested on their financial literacy, only 42 percent were able to answer half of the survey questions correctly. Similar results have emerged in the US, the UK and Australia. If this is the case with the developed world, what is the case with Nigeria?

W HAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCIAL LITERACY AND THE MEDIA ? MEDIA AND FINANCIAL LITERACY

“ In a world of escalating financial complexity, there is an increasing need for financial knowledge and at least basic financial skills (Morris L Wang 2001)” Well tailored media satisfy this need and reduce the complexity in understanding the financial landscape

M EDIA STAND A S A SOURCE OF INFORMATION FOR MULTIPLE USERS AND STAND AS A TOOL FOR INSTILLING CONFIDENCE

H OW DOES MEDIA AFFECT PUBLIC CONFIDENCE ? ENHANCING PUBLIC CONFIDENCE

There is need to bring simplified financial reporting to the forefront of all aspects of media. This will boost financial literacy and enhance public confidence WE MUST TAKE SOME NECESSARY STEPS…

N ECESSARY STEPS The financial message should jump to the front page. It is not enough to reach out only to those Nigerians who already read the business papers or those who watch the financial news networks. Media should educate and not just titillate. We should provide tips for investing wisely and avoiding fraud. We should develop educational material to accompany financials and risk disclosures for financial institutions

N ECESSARY STEPS … The educational system, government agencies and research institutions should work with business news media to heighten public understanding of financial matters

FINALLY Thank you