Policymakers, regulators and supervisors in emerging markets are under pressure to develop, implement and enforce policy and regulation that conforms to global best practice but is effective locally despite considerable constraints. Cenfri leverages the legal background, policymaking and regulatory experience of key team members and assists via direct regulatory development or policy guidance but more often through technical assistance and skills building.
Much of our work has been in the financial sector across Africa, Asia and Latin America. This includes an impressive “regulating for innovation” portfolio in support of financial sector regulators who are grappling with innovation or market development mandates in regulatory environments that do not effectively accommodate the range of risks presented by new financial service innovations. We also support improved digital and data governance in Africa. Examples range from creating a set of scenarios on the possible digital futures in Africa, to developing a data-sharing policy for the Government of Rwanda and researching fit-for-context open finance solutions for Africa.
Innovation can enable insurance to become a powerful engine of growth and development across the continent, but achieving this requires that market players and regulators work together to build an ecosystem in which responsible innovation can thrive. For regulators, doing so means not only understanding the current state of innovation
Nothing illustrates the incredible power of data-driven decision-making more than the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Lamenting the disparities in genomic sequencing data from high versus lower-middle income countries, Professor Happi, from the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria, has talked about the pressure they experienced early
Kigali, Monday 29th August 2022 – The Smart Africa Alliance welcomes Cenfri as an international non-profit member to advance Smart Africa’s digital transformation initiatives. With a mission to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, the Smart Africa Alliance has committed, as part of its flagships projects, to the development
Data is the fuel on which the information economy runs; it has allowed businesses like Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and others to grow exponentially by providing their customers with customized content and tailored services. Many companies now use data analytics and its derivatives, machine learning and AI, to understand their
The value of non-legally binding guidance Regulation is the regulator’s strongest and most fundamental tool; but it can take years to be published. In Zambia, for example, microinsurance regulation drafted in 2014 was only published in 2021. Despite strong commitment from industry, this wait created uncertainty within the industry and
Fiacre Mushimire, Cenfri’s Policy Lead, answered some questions about the breadth of Cenfri’s work in Rwanda. How and when did Cenfri start work in Rwanda? Cenfri was founded in 2008 and first started working in Rwanda in 2014 when we evaluated an agricultural insurance pilot project for Access to Finance
The Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme aims to support the Government of Rwanda in its vision of building an inclusive digital economy using data-driven policymaking. To support data-driven decision making through capacity building and development activities, Cenfri has welcomed eight data science interns to the team. These interns will spend the
Data is a powerful enabler of innovation: It helps financial service providers (FSPs) to better understand and serve consumers, as well as improve how they manage their own risks and business models. Data can also bestow market power. Key market players, such as large banks can wield the extensive client
A scoping study of five African countries Access to basic services –education, energy, health – is an important socio-economic development goal and directly relevant to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, socio-economic challenges, infrastructure concerns and fiscal constraints still undermine many developing countries’ attempts to provide quality services
In our previous article, Can digital platforms transform first mile food logistics in Africa?, we discussed the importance of the agricultural sector to food security, income and employment in Africa as well as some of the challenges the sector faces in efficiently coordinating. We also introduced the role digital logistics platforms can potentially play in improving
New and proposed financial regulations, such as South Africa’s Pension Funds Amendment Bill, often make headline news because of their wide-reaching and often controversial impact. Financial regulations such as these underpin the financial system and have direct implications for consumers and how they engage with financial services. Whether the focus
