by the MicroCapital Team - Africa, Agriculture / Rural Finance, Education, Events, Green Energy, Health, Housing, Investment Funds, Islamic Finance, Microinsurance, Mobile Money, Refugees, Regulation, Remittances, Savings, Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance (SAM), SMEs, Technology, Women, Youth -

SPECIAL REPORT: Building Resilience for Microfinance Clients – the SAM 2021 Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, October 18-22

MicroCapital: How will the theme resilience be addressed during the SAM 2021?

Yombo Odanou: The EU has defined resilience as “the capacity of an individual, household, community, country or region to resist, adapt and recover quickly from crises and shocks.” The dual climate and COVID-19 crises and their effects on the global economy are forcing institutions to find new ways to take advantage of this austere environment.

Christophe Hebting: We believe the discussions at the SAM can build the resilience capacity of all actors in the inclusive finance sector. This includes addressing questions such as: How can resilience be increased through structural change? In the face of climate change? Through technological innovations?

MC: How are you addressing concerns attendees may have regarding the potential transmission of COVID-19 during the event?

YO: Since the beginning of this pandemic, MAIN has initiated actions to enable its members to minimise the risk of infection, allowing them to continue their activities. The SAM is yet one more place where these actions can be put into practice. The fight against COVID-19 is a matter of collective discipline. The respect of preventative measures decreed by the health authorities is required. Entry to the conference centre will be conditional on the presentation of a PCR test that is less than 72 hours old or proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Finally, we are also counting on the know-how of the Rwandan people, who have consistently respected the pandemic restrictions.

CH: I was in Kigali recently. The measures taken by Rwanda to avoid the spread of the virus are much stricter than in Europe at the moment. For example, those without proof of vaccination must submit to a COVID-19 test on arrival at the airport and quarantine in an approved hotel until the result is known; those entering restaur­ants must have their temperature taken; and a 19:00 curfew is in effect. All of these measures are carried out with no significant public resistance.

MC: Why else is Rwanda the right location for the SAM this year?

YO: The history of the 1994 Rwandan genocide is well known. Given the tremendous capacity the country has demonstrated to recover from this deep shock, we believe it is the ideal place to talk about resilience.

MC: Is there a portion of the agenda about which you are particularly excited?

CH: Any selection is subjective, but what I am looking forward to are the concrete solutions for improving the conditions of the most vulnerable.

YO: The SAM 2021 agenda is very rich in diversity. The challenges of making structural changes, technological innovations, risk manage­ment and innovative methodologies in green finance are all themes that I find interesting.

CH: What excites me most of all is the possibility of a face-to-face event, after we have been deprived of direct contact for all this time.

MC: What other reasons are there to attend the SAM?

CH: The main reason is to be able to meet people, exchange ideas and discuss the shared desire to find solutions for the sector to grow even more.

YO: The SAM has always been a space that brings together financial inclusion practitioners, investors, donors, researchers and others. It is a major African event, allowing different groups of people to share their visions on a unifying theme to which they all contribute in different ways: building a more inclusive and resilient sector.

MC: What else would you like to share about the SAM 2021?

CH: The richness of such an event is the variety of people who partic­ipate, all driven by the desire to contribute to building an even more agile and impactful inclusive finance sector.

YO: There is great potential and need for African financial institutions to integrate the paradigms of green finance, social performance and transparency into their daily operations. The SAM 2021 is a prime place to learn how to make this happen.

Yombo Odanou is the Chairman of MAIN. Christophe Hebting serves as Head of Communications and Public Relations at ADA.

This feature is part of a sponsored series on the SAM 2021, which is organized by the Luxembourgish NGO ADA, the Microfinance African Institutions Network (MAIN), the African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA) and the Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR), with the support of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of Luxembourg and the Government of Rwanda. The event is scheduled to take place from October 18 to October 22 in Kigali, Rwanda. MicroCapital has been engaged to promote and document each of the SAMs since 2015.

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