Knowledge management

Facilitating innovation and continuous improvement

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ADA’s knowledge management activities encourage innovation and continuous improvement within the organisation and are intrinsically linked to ADA’s other activities. 

ADA collects, produces and shares knowledge and determines best practices and lesson learnt based on ADA’s project experience and the experience of other actors in the development and inclusive finance sectors. In practice, this includes:

• Monitoring ADA’s priority subjects to take into account the latest trends in development aid and the lessons learned by other inclusive finance professionals
• Producing or contributing to studies on ADA’s priority subjects
• Harmonising project monitoring and evaluation methods and how to disseminate the lessons leant
• Testing rigorous impact study methodologies which are tailored to development projects
• Sharing ADA’s experience and lessons learnt in the form of publications and by contributing to expert events (speaking at conferences, providing vocational or academic training, etc.).

Fostering knowledge and skills in the inclusive finance sector

As part of its knowledge management activities, ADA also manages projects to foster knowledge and increase skills of inclusive finance professionals: 

• ADA’s university Chair

ADA sponsors the ADA Chair, a university chair in financial law. The holder carries out research and gives professional training as part of a partnership with the University of Luxembourg aimed at developing a centre of excellence for the regulation of inclusive finance.  

• Training in agricultural and rural finance (FAR)

ADA organises regular training sessions on agricultural and rural finance (FAR) for financial institutions and African public bodies to enable them to respond to the needs of agricultural value chain actors in Africa. This training session is organised in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Collaborating with professional organisations and research centres

ADA is an active member of specialised professional networks, such as:

• the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF), the European Microfinance Plaform (e-MFP), the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA), InFiNe, LuxFlag, the Microinsurance Network (MiN), etc.

ADA participates in working groups and think-tanks, such as: 

• the e-MFP Green Inclusive & Climate Smart Finance Action Group (GICSF AG), the e-MFP From Research to Practice Action Group, the SPTF Social Investors Working Group, Cerise's LabODD, etc.

ADA collaborates with universities or research centres specialised in its areas of intervention by contributing to university training programmes, hosting trainees or by carrying out joint activities or research projects. These research centres include:

• the Centre for European Research in Microfinance (CERMI), the European Microfinance Programme, the University of Luxembourg and LIST, etc.