By Muhammad Sulaiman
The Bank of Ghana has appointed prominent Nigerian Islamic scholar Professor Bashir Aliyu Umar of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), to chair the council overseeing interest-free banking operations in the country.
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Johnson Pandit Asiama, formally inaugurated the new members of the council at a brief ceremony held in Accra.
Professor Bashir Aliyu Umar’s appointment highlights the growing role of Islamic scholars and experts in the development of interest-free banking and Islamic finance.
Professor Umar is a lecturer at Bayero University, Kano, and a prominent scholar of Islamic studies. The council is expected to help ensure that interest-free banking operations in Ghana comply with the principles and requirements of Islamic law.
The appointment comes at a time when Islamic banking and finance are gaining increasing acceptance in different parts of the world.