Press Release: Ethica Expands with Islamic Finance Certification in Nigeria
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – January 15, 2013 – It started off with an ATM machine. Nigerians were finding out about Ethica’s Islamic finance training and certification on bank teller machines in urban centers around Nigeria, completely unbeknownst to the Dubai-based institute. When Ethica learned about the free advertising, they were pleasantly surprised and more than a little encouraged by the dynamism and excitement of those trying to bring Islamic finance to Nigeria.
Now with a collaboration between Ethica and local partner Haifx Consult in place – including on-the-ground Islamic finance learning centers and mentorship programs – professionals get local access to global certification at subsidized rates. With a population of 150 million – the largest in Africa – and with Muslims making up more than half this number, it is no surprise that Nigeria is spearheading the growth of Islamic finance in Africa.
Dhikr Ajani, Director at Haifx Consult, said, “We are excited about our partnership with Ethica. It offers prospective students in Nigeria and Africa in general easy access to high quality and affordable Islamic banking courses at the most heavily enrolled Islamic finance training and certification institute in the world.” Ethica’s spokesperson added, “Africa is one of our fastest growth markets for Islamic finance jobs and we are delighted to be able to bring standardized global certification to Nigeria to support this growth.”
Already in 47 countries around the world – including 11 in Africa alone – Ethica is the most heavily enrolled Islamic finance certifier in the world with over 20,000 paying users in more than 100 institutions. What makes Ethica’s certification especially attractive to Nigerians is that the 100% online platform takes newcomers to an advanced level of understanding in less than 4 months. Banks are also attracted to Ethica’s 100% AAOIFI-compliance, the Islamic finance industry’s leading standard-setting body.