So what do I know about NIC bank anyway? Well a few years ago they introduced a new bank account they like to call Move. The Move Account offered you a whole bunch of services and all you had to pay was Kshs800 a month. That was kind of a revolution for 2003 and before very long very many people were lining up to sign up for their services. This was their entry into the retail banking business was what I have learnt today. And for those who are wondering what retail banking this is the banking you and I access on a daily basis, the current and savings accounts that we all access with our ATM. So in a sense your retail banker is in charge of your beer money and that is why this service is so vital to all of us.

Since then NIC have unleashed some new adverts to showcase their services the most memorable of which are ads with people in colourful clothing. The idea is that we are not all uniform and dull and drab needing one service. They have a series of ads on billboards proclaiming that the bank is as old as you need it to be. That is all well and good although one ad on Ngong Road just by the Prestige Plaza showing some old guy and the ad says "My bank is sijui 79" (or another older age). It took me a while to figure that one as the bank started out in 1959 making it 51 this year. It did permeate the skull eventually that the bank was able to sort out his needs whatever your age. Ah well. Smart people have it so easy in this town figuring ads targeted at people with a brain. And recently they have been having this ad with a guy who looks like that dude on Jacob's cross telling us to get the biggest when we are looking for asset financing.

So early today I joined a bunch of many of NIC bank customers at the Panafric for a breakfast event. The information I had was that today we would be seeing the launch of their new entrepreneur club. The presentations from the company were quite on point as NIC's Personal Banking Director James Wainaina explained about the new club that all customers who were here today would be members off. The usual standard club fare such as flexible tariffs, reduced payments on some lifestyle brands etc. For more information on the new account please click here. There was also a presentation by Tim Gitonga, the head of business banking. This fellow explained how as a customer you had a whole raft of services at your disposal. For more on this you need to click here.

The most exciting part of the morning for me? Well there were the salsa dancers who came on for some time to show the versatility of NIC bank. Good stuff. And then there was Gladys Makumi and Maurice Wangutusi from Deloitte. Ms Makumi gave a big picture presentation that was mind blowing. Africa is the place you get the highest return of investment in the world and has been so for the last decade. Urban Africa’s population is currently at 40% but will grow to 50% by 2030. Around us is a market of 160 million people ready and willing to get our services. Locally, Kenya's population has doubled over the last 25 years to 40 million. We shall be growing at 1 million a year over the next 40 years. That’s 3,000 babies a day. People are really having sex in this country! By 2050 we shall have 56 million working age people as opposed to the current 22 million meaning workers will have less people to support increasing their disposable income.

There's more! Whereas in 1970 there were 2 Europeans for every African, by 2030 the case will be opposite; 2 Africans for every European. Without a World War to decimate more Europeans imagine? And then there are the technology factors. From 15,000 mobiles a decade ago to 20 million by the end of this year. And you wonder why we need to register our SIM cards. Our growth has been amazing apart from the political years and this is a risk we need to manage. Otherwise things were looking up.

I sat there thinking about the country and region I am living and continued thinking of the blessing from to be here at this time of its history. The Lord has truly blessed us. Mr. Wangutusi was more technical as he gave an overview of the budget that we have all missed due to this madness that is the FIFA World Cup.

Thank you NIC bank. If this is what NIC Entrepreneur club members are getting regularly I so need to sign up!

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