In 2022, Central Banking gave me an award for ‘outstanding contribution for capacity building’ for my work in establishing the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH). This article sets out some of the lessons I learned developing capacity at the CBBH and their relevance for others seeking to develop capacity around the world.

The CBBH commenced operations in 1997, two years after the end of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) terrible war. The law establishing the CBBH was passed by the BiH