In order to avoid having crisis management being held up by conflicts of interests more than necessary, I am personally inclined to believe that a general key that is fixed once and for all is the preferred choice. Possible ways forward The title of this speech is a question: “Are we ready to deal with a cross-border banking crisis in Europe?” Regrettably, the answer is no! Before we can say we are anywhere near “ready”, we must deal with some serious challenges. In particular, we need to solve the problem of how to organise supervision, crisis management and crisis resolution for cross-border banks. Given the great complexity of the issue, achieving a practical solution will not be an easy task, and there is no altogether ideal solution. The amount of work that has already been set up for us on the European regulatory agenda is already quite staggering, which suggests that everything may not be achieved in the next few years. But we must not use this as an excuse for not starting to deal with these important issues. We can at least start the analytical process, take stock of the problems and examine the pros and cons of different solutions. The longer we wait to get this process started, the greater the risk that we’ll end up in a very serious mess. I, for one, certainly hope that we manage to have some solution in place before the next major financial disaster in Europe occurs.
Tukiya Kankasa-Mabula: Technological developments in Zambia and the surrounding region Official opening speech by Dr Tukiya Kankasa-Mabula, Deputy Governor – Administration, Bank of Zambia, at the SADC Central Banks IT Forum 2008 Annual Conference, Livingstone, 3-7 March 2008. *  *  *  Protocol • The Chairman of the SADC ICT Forum, Mr Paulo Maculuve • The ICT Directors from the SADC Central Banks • Mrs. Esselina Macome (Dr), General Manager and Board Member, Banco de Moçambique • The ICT members of staff from SADC Central Banks represented here • Other members of staff from SADC Central Bank represented here • Representatives of Hardware and Software Suppliers • Members of the Press • Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen On behalf of the Bank of Zambia Governor, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you all to the “SADC Central Banks IT forum 2008 Annual conference”. To our colleagues from outside Zambia, I wish to extend a special welcome to you to Zambia, and in particular to Livingstone, our tourist capital especially at this time of the year. Like the rest of Zambia, Livingstone is a city of tranquility with an easy-going African charm. Apart from the famous Victoria Falls, other tourist spots include the Mukuni Cultural Village a well stocked curio market, among the many other attractions. I therefore urge you to find time or indeed stay an extra day or more to sample this special menu that Livingstone can offer.