Strengthening my central banking career

Global Central Banking and Financial Regulation alumni, Taiwo Saro, shares how the programme has supported his career in central banking.

After more than two decades working across banking, financial markets and central banking, including over 14 years with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), I reached a point in my career when I wanted to deepen my understanding of the increasingly complex challenges facing central banks and financial regulators. This motivated me to study the Global Central Banking and Financial Regulation programme at Warwick Business School.

My decision to undertake the programme was not simply about obtaining another academic qualification. I wanted a programme that could bridge academic theory and the practical realities of central banking, while also exposing me to international perspectives on monetary policy, financial stability and regulation. The GCBQ programme offered precisely that combination.

One aspect I have valued most is the modules' direct relevance to the issues central bankers face in practice. The programme has deepened my understanding of monetary policy transmission, inflation dynamics, financial crises, macroprudential policy, financial regulation, and the interaction between monetary and fiscal policy. It has encouraged me to think beyond individual policy instruments and to consider how different elements of the financial and macroeconomic system interact.

This has been particularly valuable in the context of an emerging economy such as Nigeria, where policymakers must often navigate multiple, sometimes competing, objectives. Questions surrounding inflation, exchange-rate dynamics, financial-system stability, capital flows and economic growth cannot always be considered in isolation. The programme has provided analytical frameworks that have helped me approach these challenges in a more structured and evidence-based manner.

I have also benefited significantly from the programme's international character. Learning alongside professionals with experience of diverse central banks, regulatory institutions and financial systems has enabled me to examine how similar policy challenges can require different responses, depending on a country's institutional and economic circumstances. These interactions have reinforced an important lesson for me: effective central banking requires not only technical expertise but also sound judgement, institutional credibility and an appreciation of country-specific conditions.

Another important benefit has been the programme's contribution to my broader academic development. Alongside my professional responsibilities, I am undertaking doctoral research into the impact of Basel III standards on bank default risk in developing countries. The knowledge gained through the programme, particularly in financial regulation, banking stability and quantitative policy analysis, complements my doctoral research and helps me connect academic questions more closely with the practical concerns of regulators and policymakers.

Most importantly, the programme has supported my professional development at a pivotal stage in my career. I was recently promoted to Assistant Director at the Central Bank of Nigeria. While career progression is naturally the product of many years of professional experience, continuous learning and institutional opportunities, I believe the GCBQ programme has made an important contribution to my development. It has broadened my perspective, strengthened my technical knowledge and increased my confidence in engaging with complex policy and regulatory questions.

The programme has also reminded me that learning should remain a continuous process, irrespective of one's level of professional experience. Indeed, as responsibilities increase, the need to remain intellectually curious and open to new approaches becomes even more important.

For professionals in central banking, financial regulation or related fields, the value of the GCBQ programme lies in connecting rigorous academic thinking with real-world policy challenges. For me, it has been both an academic journey and an investment in becoming a more thoughtful and effective central banker.

As I move into the next stage of my professional career, I look forward to applying the knowledge, perspectives and analytical skills gained through the programme to further contribute to effective central banking and financial-system stability.