DJIBOUTI CITY, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- The Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF), as the representative of the Islamic Finance Profession Charter Governing Panel entered into a Collaboration Agreement with the Central Bank of Djibouti and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Salaam Center on 30 November 2023, onboarding the Central Bank as the newest member of the Islamic Finance Profession Charter (the Charter) and affirming strategic partnership through delivery of CIIF’s professional qualification programme - the Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance (CPIF) in the country. Both signing ceremonies were held in Djibouti City, in conjunction with the Djibouti-Malaysia Business and Investment Forum, an event organised by Djibouti National Investment Promotion Agency.
 
At the event, Dr Azura Othman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CIIF, representing the Charter Governing Panel and Mr Ahmed Osman Ali, Governor of Central Bank of Djibouti were present at the Agreement signing and exchange ceremony. Dr Azura highlighted that the Agreement marks a new level of benchmark for the Islamic Finance profession and industry, as the Central Bank of Djibouti is the first international member for the Islamic Finance Profession Charter that was established in 2015.
 
“The latest addition of Central Bank of Djibouti as a member of the Charter is truly an honour and would significantly contribute towards the professionalisation of the Islamic Finance profession, especially in the East Africa region. This also supports the efforts and endeavours of CIIF in capacity building, as well as developing competent and dynamic workforce internationally,” said Dr Azura Othman.
 
“We are witnessing a peak moment of milestone, which is not only for CIIF, but the whole industry and profession of Islamic Finance globally. This Agreement serves as a way forward for CIIF to continue exploring opportunities to develop international chapters through collaborations with international government entities or associations that will eventually be localised as a professional body for the country,” emphasised Dr Azura Othman further.
 
The Charter is an initiative to establish professionalism and ethical standards in Islamic Finance. It seeks to bring together institutions from across the world to collaborate on developing and promoting these standards. Membership in the Charter signifies a commitment to upholding these standards and contributes to the overall integrity and credibility of the Islamic Finance industry. The Islamic Finance Profession Charter initially was signed between CIIF and the Founding Members including Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (“AIBIM”), Malaysian Takaful Association (“MTA”) and Malaysian Investment Banking Association (“MIBA”).
 
At the same event at Djibouti City, CIIF also signed and exchanged an MOU with Salaam Center, a leading professional training, research and consultancy service provider based in Djibouti to further promote and deliver the Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance (CPIF) Qualification Programme to potential talents in the country and East Africa region. Dr Azura Othman, CEO of the CIIF and Mr Guled Gure, General Manager of the Salaam Center represented their respective organisation for the MOU signing and exchange.
 
“The official signing of the MOU with Salaam Center is timely as the need for Islamic Finance talents globally, particularly in Djibouti and East Africa has risen to fulfil the economy and industrial requirements here,” mentioned Dr Azura Othman.
 
“This aligns strategically with both CIIF and Salaam Center’s main purpose, which is to elevate the capacity building in the country and East Africa overall, as well as to develop and promote quality human capital by adding values and knowledge within the talents,” added Dr Azura Othman.
 
The signing of MOU with Salaam Center came a day after CIIF signed an MOU with JPPKK.
 
The CPIF programme is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of Islamic Finance. It is tailored to equip individuals with the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in the growing field of Islamic Finance.
 
CIIF is a professional body for qualified practitioners in the Islamic Finance industry established since 2015. To date, it has a total of 1,480 members worldwide. For more information about CIIF, please visit https://www.ciif-global.org.
 

About the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF)
 
Since 2015, CIIF is established as a professional body for Islamic Finance practitioners to support capacity building agenda of the Islamic Finance industry by setting professional standards to drive the next phase of Islamic Finance human capital development. It first started as the Association of Chartered Islamic Finance Professionals Malaysia (ACIFP) in 2008 for graduates of INCEIF’s Chartered Islamic Finance Professional (CIFP) programme. ACIFP was then transitioned from an Association to an Institute​, which birthed the CIIF to continue carrying ACIFP’s mandate and other major industry mandates.
 
Today, CIIF’s primary mandate is to set the benchmark for Islamic Finance professional education, a platform for networking, continuous professional development for qualified professionals and advocacy of best practices and interests for the Islamic Finance industry. The Institute also serves to develop technically proficient, innovative, industry focus, ethically grounded and globally mobile Islamic finance professionals. Besides that, CIIF is also mandated to spur the professionalisation of the Islamic finance industry through the Islamic Finance Profession Charter signed between the CIIF and industry associations (Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia, Malaysian Takaful Association and Malaysian Investment Banking Associations). The five-pillar charter represents a commitment of all members to professionalise the Islamic finance profession and support the efforts and endeavours of CIIF in developing competent and dynamic workforce. ​It also serves as a channel for internationalisation agenda and through CIIF’s global footprint, an international network of chapters will form a platform for individual professional members to build alliance. This provides global mobility for the members to serve at their best capacity.
 
Through its professional standards and qualification programmes, including its flagship Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance (CPIF), the CIIF aims to create value and prestige for the profession by equipping its members with knowledge, skills and competencies that are relevant to the industry and having its professional qualification as an industry benchmark. 

Source: Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (CIIF)

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--BERNAMA