The 5th edition of the African Microfinance Week (SAM), a biennial conference dedicated to the development of financial inclusion in Africa, will take place from October 18 to 22, 2021 in Kigali, Rwanda, on the theme of resilience.
Organized by ADA Microfinance in Luxembourg, the main objective of SAM 2021 is to federate the reflections and commitments of the different categories of actors in the African sector of inclusive finance. Conferences and training sessions are organized throughout the week in order to discuss strategies and actions to be carried out to strengthen the resilience capacities of financial service operators and beneficiary populations and accelerate their progress towards sustainable development objectives.
The SAM conference: “We are not born resilient, we become resilient: strengthening inclusive finance to overcome crises”
This conference will be held over two days and will be structured in plenary sessions.
In this context, Philippe Guichandut, Director of Inclusive Finance Development at the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, will speak during two sessions on “MFIs and the way through the Covid-19 crisis in Africa: survey results and lessons” as well as on “The financing of the inclusive finance sector in times of crisis: what role for investors and donors in strengthening the resilience of the sector? “. On this occasion, Philippe Guichandut will share the experience of the Foundation during the Covid-19 crisis and the results of surveys carried out, in partnership with Inpulse and ADA, with their partner microfinance institutions.
Violette Cubier, Technical Assistance program Manager at the Foundation, will speak during an experience sharing session on financial innovations to promote the resilience of refugee populations.
Trainings and workshops
SAM 2021 will also offer around twenty training courses on different themes: agricultural finance, digital finance, inclusive insurance, social performance, etc.
At the initiative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, a training session will be organized on the theme of financial inclusion for refugees and host communities.
Microinsurance training will also be held by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, the International Labor Organization and the Micro Insurance Network.
Eventually, Sébastien Simonot, Senior Investment Manager at the Foundation, will speak during the workshop “Green and inclusive finance: Understanding and tackling client vulnerabilities”. The training will provide participants with an overview of basic client needs assessment frameworks, data collection tools and strategies for integrating these inclusive green finance programs into their organization.
The opportunity to meet its partners
SAM 2021 will also be an opportunity for the Foundation to meet its African partners and in particular the partners involved in the African Facility programme, developed since 2013 in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and which will come to an end as of December 31 of this year. Meetings will be organised ahead of the SAM and will allow all parties involved to take stock of this programme, which has particularly focused on technical assistance and has made it possible to strengthen some twenty microfinance institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, priority intervention area of the Foundation.
Learn more about the technical assistance programmes of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation here.