(1888PressRelease)
November 20, 2008 - Nariobi, Kenya - Microfinance Insights, the international print magazine, focusing on the microfinance sector, will be hosting a one-day Panel Discussion “Microfinance in Africa: What Works? The Future of Entrepreneurship, Technology and Regulation” on Thursday, November 20, at the Hotel Serena, Nairobi. The event will bring together microfinance practitioners – from commercial microfinance, the investing side, the regulatory side and technology.
The event will be headlined by Kamal Budhabhatti, CEO of Craft Silicon, one of the major technology providers in the sector. Joining Mr. Budhabhatti on the panel will be Ingrid Munro, Founder of Jamii Bora – one of Kenya’s leading MFIs, Pauline Nsa, Managing Director, FBN Microfinance Bank Ltd. and Dave van Niekerk, of Blue Financial Limited, which operates in twelve countries across Africa. The discussion will be moderated by Vineet Rai, Managing Partner, Aavishkaar Goodwell Microfinance Development Co., an India-focused microfinance fund.
With over 300 million people in need of microfinance services in Africa, the potential for growth and impact is enormous. In a recent interview with Microfinance Insights, James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Bank, identified a number of opportunities and challenges faced by the African microfinance industry. Among the former, Africa’s large population with lack of financial services, and sustained growth are clearly signals of potential for the industry. However Dr. Mwangi also points out that Africa in particular faces challenges when it comes to legal framework, infrastructure and high costs. The Panel Discussion will seek to address these and other challenges to microfinance operations in Africa, particularly on the role of entrepreneurship, technology and regulation.
Craft Silicon is the Lead Sponsor for the event and Blue Financial is one of the Associate Sponsors. The event is also being supported by Unitus, the leading global non-profit organization that works to reduce global poverty by enabling access to microfinance services. Unitus, which works with partner-MFIs across the globe, has recently opened an office in Nairobi, Kenya. Microfinance Gateway is the Outreach Partner for the event.
The Panel Discussion will be followed by the launch of the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Microfinance Insights – “The African Landscape: Ripe for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Investment.” The issue carries articles on a wide range of topics on microfinance in Africa with a lead piece on an overview of the sector by Women’s World Banking, a commentary by Wagane Diouf, the Managing Director of Mecene Investment, and interviews with James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Bank and Ingrid Munro, Founder of Jamii Bora.
Also in this issue, the magazine publishes results of its Survey on microfinance in Africa, gathering views from over 100 MFIs in 31 countries across the continent, on issues ranging from growth rates, funding, products and regulation. The results are highlighted within the issue.
Other key features include:
- A look at the role microfinance can play in the global food crisis, by the UN World Food Program
- The state of housing microfinance in Africa, by Barclay’s Capital
- The intersection of microfinance and capital markets in Africa, by Blue Financial
- And an opinion piece by Eric Thurman on the economic crises in some African countries.
- And more…
Microfinance Insights is a dynamic, fast growing magazine with over 4,000 readers around the world. The magazine is published from India, but international in content and distribution, bringing in articles, interviews and commentary from India as well as microfinance markets around the world including Morocco, Pakistan, Ecuador, Kazakhstan and Pakistan.
The upcoming issue of the magazine (Jan/Feb 2009) includes a focus on “Microfinance Plus Services”, that will discuss innovative use of microfinance delivery channels to bring new products and services to the poor. Past issues of the magazine have highlighted opinions and analyses from leading industry voices from the World Bank, the IFC, Morgan Stanley, Blue Orchard, Women’s World Banking, MIX Market, MicroCapital Monitor, the Micro Insurance Center, Sanabel, SKS and many others.
Event Details:
Venue: Hotel Serena, Kenyatta Avenue, Nairobi.
Time: 12 PM - 4 PM.
Seats are limited. RSVP Jerilene Creado, jerilene ( @ ) mfinsights dot com or +91 22 4035 9210 dot
About Microfinance Insights
Microfinance Insights (www.microfinanceinsights.com) is an international bimonthly print magazine published by Intellecap to serve the knowledge needs of the growing microfinance sector. A comprehensive and consolidated resource, the magazine publishes diverse global voices, uncovers trends, and analyzes critical issues from economic, business, and social angles. By building knowledge and bringing in new international perspectives, particularly from developing countries, the magazine has become a microfinance thought leader. It is read by over 4,000 people around the world, who attend our knowledge-building events, and participate in global responsible finance, mobile finance, and microfinance conferences. Subscriptions are available online: www.microfinanceinsights.com.
About Intellecap
Intellectual Capital Advisory (Intellecap) (www.intellecap.net) is a social business advisory firm that incubates innovative businesses, enables capacity building, and facilitates investment initiatives in the development sector. Working in direct design, execution, as well as indirect strategic advisory roles, Intellecap seeks to create unique solutions that efficiently and effectively address development problems.
Media Contact:
Ms. Lindsay Clinton
Managing Editor - Microfinance Insights
Email: lindsay ( @ ) mfinsights dot com
Phone: +91-22-4035 9209
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