By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Abuja

The Governor of the Central Bank of the Gambia, Mr Buah Saidy, on Wednesday paid an official visit to the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPM) Plc headquarters in Abuja, in continuation of his two-day official visit to Nigeria.

Saidy led a delegation of Gambian officials to Nigeria to seek the assistance of Nigeria’s apex bank (CBN) in improving its operations and collaboration in the printing of its currency the Dalasi.

During the facility tour of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting factory, the team inspected a state-of-the-art production facilities.

The Gambian Central Bank Governor and his team had earlier met with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday, who told the Gambian officials that Nigeria has a lot of capacity in currency printing and promised to assist Gambia.

“We are willing to assist in printing your currency. We can be extremely competitive in terms of cost,” he said.

Welcoming them, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive of NSPM (also known as the Mint), Mr. Abbas Masanawa, reiterated the company’s readiness to print the Gambian currency, the Dalasi, when the collaboration between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Central Bank of The Gambia is finalised.

The Mint boss informed the visiting delegation that the Mint has the capability in its factories to print currencies, security documents and provide a wide range of digital security solutions much easier, safer, cheaper and faster for the Gambia.

Masanawa extolled the proposed partnership as a major boost for the African Continent. He added that the success of the collaboration would set a good precedence for other African countries to follow suit.

Saidy said that his country was running very low on currency and wants to learn how to manage their currency need annually leveraging Nigeria’s wealth of knowledge and experience.

He said currently, they placed an order for two years currency minting deal abroad but they are considering also minting from Nigeria if Nigeria is willing.

Speaking during the visit, the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Mr. Ahmed Halilu, also reechoed Masanawa, stressing that the NSPM has both the capability and capacity to meet the currency needs of other African countries.

He described the financial state of the NSPM as “very stable and progressively profitable”.

Also speaking, the Executive Director Operations, Abuja Factory, Mr. Abubakar Minjibir, said the “MINT is on a sustainable growth path as the foremost security printing outfit in Africa with a dynamic strategy of developing high yield portfolio.

According to him, currently, the NSPM is one of the most secured critical National assets".

The Mint currency division has the capability and capacity to deliver the entire life cycle of currency production – from the actual design of the currency to the physical printing of the currency.

Over the last six years, the NSPM has continuously and successfully printed 100% of the currency requirements of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Security Document division currently produces conventional secured print solutions such as Certificates, ballot papers, stamps etc and digital security solutions such as Product Authentication and Verification; track and trace solutions and document digitisation.

•PHOTO: Governor of The Gambia Central Bank and his team in a group photograph with the Management ofNigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPM also known as the Mint) Plc, during a visit to the NSPM headquarters in Abuja, on Wednesday