hana to Host the Applied Microfinance Institute training programme

G from August 3 to 14, 2009

Ghana -based Blackwealth Consulting and MicroSave Consulting based in Kenya will host this year's Applied Microfinance Institute (AMI) -Africa, in Ghana, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Kumasi. This will be the second time that the event will be held in Ghana.

Last year's event was held for the first time in Ghana at the Elmina Beach Resort, Elmina, in the Central Region. About 90 microfinance practitioners, including consultants and academics attended.

Following significant interest in MicroSave tools and approaches in previous years from West Africa, MicroSave is now very active in West Africa with market-led solutions for the microfinance sector. Previously, many West Africans attended MicroSave's courses at the School of Applied Microfinance in Mombasa, Kenya.

In an effort to expand its services to the microfinance industry, MicroSave launched the Applied Microfinance Institute which will run in Ghana for two weeks from August 3 to 14, 2009.

This year's training is tailored to ensure that participants learn more about how to stay ahead of the competition in the face of the global financial market turmoil.

It is intended that participants would study MicroSave's practical tools to help their business grow, become more customer focused, attract more business, boost profitability and satisfy customers even more. These tools have underpinned growth in institutions across East and West Africa.

Areas that will be covered during the period are: Process Re-engineering, Individual Lending, Delinquency Management, Loan Portfolio Audit, Customer Service, Product Marketing, Branding and Corporate Identity, Pilot Testing, Product and Institutional Risk Management, Financial Management, Costing and Pricing of Financial Services, Internal Audit and Controls.

The course outline, course descriptions, registration and payment details have been placed on the course website Applied Microfinance Institute website. www.appliedmicrofinanceinstitute.org

If you have any queries or would like more details write to AMI@microsave.org

Significantly, the programme will address the "how to" in the following areas:

A). Use process re-engineering to improve your efficiency, and reduce process related risks.

B). Use product costing to identify loss making products

C). Use delinquency management to better understand and manage loan delinquency and default.

D). Use individual lending, to begin to develop cash flow based individual lending products using industry tested methods.

E). Use branding to improve the way you are perceived by your actual and potential customers.

F). Use customer service to analyse where your service levels are falling short and to develop a strategy for rapid improvements.

G). Use risk analysis to design operational risk management mechanisms into your institution.

H). Use product marketing to develop improved marketing plans and activities for your products.

J). Introduce new products in the most effective way through our tested pilot testing process

K). Improve the efficiency of staff through a well designed staff incentive scheme.

L). Worried about your loan portfolio - use Loan Portfolio Audit to reduce your credit risks

Notes to Editors

Blackwealth Consulting is a specialist consulting firm providing microfinance consulting services to financial institutions, donors and governments. The company has a vision to build the best, most sustainable micro-finance consulting practice in Africa.

The company helps clients to develop strategies that help them stay ahead of the competition; develop innovative and attractive financial products using market led approaches; re-engineer new processes; attract and retain skilled staff; manage risk; change organizational culture and employee attitude; and turnaround ailing companies.

MicroSave is a unique project that promotes the development of savings and other more client-responsive financial services among microfinance institutions (MFIs). To achieve this goal, the project has successfully combined:-

primary field-level research regarding the financial service needs and preferences of the poor, action research working intensively on the ground with a selected group of microfinance institutions (MFIs), curriculum development, and extensive information dissemination The field-level research entailed extensive interviews with poor people (including microfinance clients) to better understand their financial behaviour and risk profile; while the action research involved helping MFIs to better listen to clients and design appropriate financial products based on better market information. Both research activities complemented each other and directly fed into the curriculum development and dissemination efforts.

For further information, please call Blackwealth Consulting on 021-521171 or email David Cracknell, Africa Programme Director, MicroSave on david@microsave.org

Notes to Editors

Blackwealth Consulting is a specialist consulting firm providing microfinance consulting services to financial institutions, donors and governments. The company has a vision to build the best, most sustainable micro-finance consulting practice in Africa.

The company helps clients to develop strategies that help them stay ahead of the competition; develop innovative and attractive financial products using market led approaches; re-engineer new processes; attract and retain skilled staff; manage risk; change organizational culture and employee attitude; and turnaround ailing companies.

MicroSave is a unique project that promotes the development of savings and other more client-responsive financial services among microfinance institutions (MFIs). To achieve this goal, the project has successfully combined:-

1. primary field-level research regarding the financial service needs and preferences of the poor, 2. action research working intensively on the ground with a selected group of microfinance institutions (MFIs), 3. curriculum development, and 4. extensive information dissemination

The field-level research entailed extensive interviews with poor people (including microfinance clients) to better understand their financial behaviour and risk profile; while the action research involved helping MFIs to better listen to clients and design appropriate financial products based on better market information. Both research activities complemented each other and directly fed into the curriculum development and dissemination efforts.