The SAM 2021 will be hosted in Kigali, Rwanda

The 5th edition of the ‘Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance’ (SAM - African Microfinance Week), a biennial conference dedicated to the development of financial inclusion in Africa, will take place from the 18th to 22nd  October 2021 in Kigali, Rwanda, on the topic of resilience.

Rwanda, the host country of the SAM 2021

In Rwanda, financial inclusion is regarded as playing an important role in promoting faster, broad-based sustainable economic growth, and poverty reduction. In recognizing the importance of financial inclusion, the Government of Rwanda has introduced a number of initiatives to promote financial inclusion, including the implementation of the National Inclusion Financial Strategy (NFIS) and key programmes like Umurenge Sacco, a Savings and Credit Cooperative available across the country; to be close to the community, using digital payments in particular. These efforts have yielded fruits. Financial inclusion increased from 48% in 2008 to 93% in 2020.

“Hosting the African Microfinance Week in Rwanda will be an honor for the country as we believe that this event will provide a unified African platform for exchange on microfinance issues on the African continent with an objective of building the development and resilience of the sector”. 
Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning (Rwanda)

More than 20 years of cooperation between Rwanda and Luxembourg

Relations between the two countries are not new, as Franz Fayot, Luxembourg's Minister of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, explains. 

“Cooperation relations between Luxembourg and Rwanda have been close for over 20 years. We have attentively followed Rwanda's proactivity in financial inclusion, and I share the vision that access to inclusive financial services creates economic opportunities for SMEs, especially those led by women and youth. I therefore welcome the organisation of the 5th edition of the SAM in Kigali as a concrete example of a new generation of cooperation, drawing on the expertise of Luxembourg and the international inclusive finance sector. The SAM is an excellent venue for exchanges and meetings for microfinance institutions, FinTech’s, investors, regulators, technical assistance providers, as well as associations and networks active in this area.”
Franz Fayot, Luxembourg's Minister of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs

Overall theme of SAM 2021: Resilience  

The main objective of the SAM 2021 is to centralise reflections and commitments of different actors in the African inclusive finance sector on the strategies and actions to be taken to strengthen the resilience of financial service operators and beneficiary populations, and to accelerate their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 

“The theme of resilience has been chosen to be at the heart of the reflections and exchanges of the SAM 2021 in order to contribute to the construction of a more agile and impactful inclusive finance sector, able to cope with severe shocks, such as those linked to the Covid-19 pandemic or climate change. The aim of the SAM 2021 is clearly to help build the resilience of the sector.”
Laura Foschi, Executive Director of ADA