Cenfri contributes to building the fundamentals of welfare-enhancing digital economies. We prioritise digital transformation that is inclusive, sustainable, opportunity-creating and has appropriate safeguards. Digital transformation underpins much of our work and ranges from payments digitalisation to digital economy diagnostics, and digital skills assessments to direct digitalisation support. Cenfri also collaborates with policymakers and other public and private sector stakeholders in data-driven decision-making that is calibrated to the data available and is designed to strengthen the existing skills and data governance processes within these organisations. The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme is our flagship evidence-informed policymaking and data-for-decisions intervention, but we have considerable experience in using evidence to generate insights and inform policymaking and business decision-making with a view to improved economic development outcomes. Our expertise in data, payments and digital identity enables us to contribute to current DPI (digital public infrastructure) conversations. |
The promise of open finance has led to a rapid proliferation in countries exploring implementation globally. However, it also comes with costs and risks—particularly as highly sensitive personal information is being made shareable. For African regulators and policymakers, open finance is an important emerging trend that requires a clear understanding
Ghana’s tourism industry presents an exciting landscape for growth, offering significant potential for youth employment and entrepreneurship. However, an effective digital presence is a prerequisite for competitiveness in the global tourism sector and in Ghana, digital technology adoption among tourism operators remains nascent. Data and digital technology increasingly enable tourism
Whereas financial inclusion has seen a steady increase over the past few years, this positive trend has not necessarily taken women along. A gender gap in financial access and usage persists, and has not decreased over the years. Our efforts at understanding and closing the gender gap are hampered by
Mary is the owner of a small business in Blantyre, Malawi, and the main breadwinner for her family. To support her family in the event that something happens to her, she has a funeral policy that she contributes to monthly in cash at the local insurance branch. The process is
For regulators, the dual implications of innovation make it a critically important but challenging topic to address. Regulators with a mandate to encourage market development and sectoral growth are obliged to encourage innovative providers and products that help to drive this market development and enhance consumer value. However, regulators are
Ridwaan Boda and Era Gunning of ENSafrica answer questions about data privacy, data sharing and what related regulations mean for financial service providers in Africa. Do you think it is likely that the commencement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union (EU) will: Result in any African countries
Ridwaan Boda and Era Gunning of ENSafrica answer questions about data privacy, data sharing and what related regulations mean for financial service providers in Africa. Do you think it is likely that the commencement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union (EU) will: Result in any African countries
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a key role in economic development, but they face challenges in accessing finance. In Uganda alone (as in most other sub-Saharan African countries), MSMEs account for approximately 90% of private-sector production, over 80% of manufactured output and 18% of GDP contribution (National Small Business Survey of Uganda, 2015; Ministry of Trade,
Johan Bosini, Quona Capital Venture Partner (Cape Town) shares his excitement about fintech developments and the associated data revolution in Africa. Which sources of data and analytics methods hold the most promise in extending financial services to the underserved in Africa? I think there are two broad opportunities – one
This note introduces a tool and approach to assist financial inclusion users in better understanding, interpreting and using their data. Adoption of this tool will enable the entire financial inclusion community to produce better research. This will increase credibility among users, as well as onlookers. Financial inclusion users often have to choose between the
insight2impact (i2i) is exploring how data can be used by financial service providers to create client value and enhance firm value simultaneously. Pieter Vorster, Chief Data Officer for Barclays Africa Group, shares his insights with us. This topic will be further explored during the invitation-only roundtable discussion that i2i will be
