Private: Sakhumzi Mbilini

Sakhumzi Mbilini is a research analyst at Cenfri and joined the team in August 2019. He is currently a part of the remittances team, which focuses on reducing remittance costs and improving remittance flows. His research to date has included providing technical assistance to remittance service providers and analysing key performance indicators for improving insurance development.

Before joining Cenfri he worked as an Intern at BSG where he gained experience in business analysis.

Qualifications

MA in Socio-Informatics, Stellenbosch University
Honours in Information Systems, Rhodes University

Contact:

Recent Work

Open finance: Learning from early adopters

At the end of November 2024, Cenfri had the opportunity to participate in the BIS Workshop on fostering financial inclusion through open finance in...

Leading with data governance: Setting the foundation for a data-driven future

As outlined in the discussion on ...

Developing an organisational data strategy

To enhance the use of data for decision-making, it is important to develop not only individual data skills but also institutions that have embarked...

Data and scenarios provide a glimpse of a future Rwanda

For the past three decades, Rwanda has had remarkable growth. Between 1999 and 2023, real ...

Harnessing data and scenario-based planning in Rwanda: A look at NST2

Rwanda’s journey toward becoming a high-income nation by 2050 is driven by clear strategic frameworks, one of which is the 2nd...

7 Lessons from 2024

Our work at Cenfri rarely follows the typical rhythms of the calendar year, yet, as 2024 draws to a close, we thought it would be good to reflect o...

State of inclusive instant payment systems in Africa

Real-time retail payments that enable consumers to send and receive cross-border and domestic transactions digitally are on the rise ...

Data fellows pumped to help government catalyse data use

Data can be used to improve policy decisions as well as to better understand the outcome of decisions taken. To enable this, policymakers need acce...

Kenyans are value maximisers, not cost minimisers

Lessons from scaling retail health microinsurance in Kenya It is often assumed that pe...

The evolution of digital payments: New developments, same fundamental questions

From experiencing the informal remittance journey first-hand on the bus to Harare, to unpacking payment system barriers in Côte d’Ivoire and Tog...

Open finance in Africa: The why and the how for context-appropriate implementation

The promise of open finance has led to a rapid proliferation in countries exploring implementation globally. However, it also comes with costs and ...

Bridging the Gap: Unpacking segmentation approaches and the MSE landscape in Kenya, Uganda and India

Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) are crucial drivers of economic growth in emerging markets, yet there is a persistent financing gap that restri...

The new currency in microinsurance: does data access trump client volume?

Lessons from scaling retail health microinsurance in Kenya We’ve all been ther...

Scaling up health microinsurance in Kenya: Insights and opportunities

How can we prevent high healthcare costs and low insurance penetration from driving peo...

A pocket guide to navigating the structure of the G20

On 1 December 2024, South Africa will take over the G20 presidency. This is a fantastic opportunity for Africa. In his recent Troika ...

Digitisation of government services in Rwanda: Lessons from the data

Rwanda has set ambitious goals to transition from an agrarian economy to a knowledge-based one by ...

Unlocking growth: 3 key opportunities for remittance service providers

Many remittance service providers (RSPs) face a tough balancing act; they’re trying to innovate and grow, but it feels like they’re driving wit...

Leveraging agricultural data for more effective policymaking

Policymakers are challenged to develop policies that will have a positive social impact. For instance, input subsidies for farmers have been widely...

Supporting responsible financial sector innovation in Jordan

Cenfri, in partnership with the GIZ I-FIN project, is providing technical assistance to the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ)...

R3Lab Toolkit: Regulating and enabling innovation

Innovation can enable insurance to become a powerful engine of growth and development across the continent, but achieving this requires that market...

Data training resources for independent learners

Designed for people who want broad exposure to a spectrum of data science and data engineering content, these data training resources are available...

Open Finance in South Africa: Promising moves, but challenges ahead

The South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA’s) publication of their ...

Rwanda Economy Digitalisation Programme launches second phase

Kigali, 08 May 2024 – The Ministry of ICT and Innovation, the Mastercard Foundation and Cen...

A new approach to tackling deforestation

Over the past three years, the Global Stocktake (GST) embarked on a consultative journey to assess progress towards the ...

Navigating a career in data science

There is demand for skilled professionals in the field of data science as organisations are increasingly adopting a data-driven approach. From unco...

Building the fundamentals of a welfare-enhancing digitalised economy

Digitalisation per se has marginal impact; the crux is the way it is leveraged and implemented. We need a better understanding of how digi...

The Africa Fintech Hub – a platform designed to strengthen fintechs in Africa

Fintechs have the potential to significantly improve the options available to financially underserved individuals. Many fintech start-ups in Africa...

Supporting the development of a digital finance index

Digital financial services are transforming global financial service provision and access. Rapid developments in fintech are disrupting and transfo...

The untold realities of women cross-border traders

A diagnostic study on women cross-border traders between South Africa and Lesotho, Malawi and Mozambique ...

Guidance on developing a data and analytics strategy

In today’s data-driven world, many organisations recognise the importance of leveraging data insights to make decisions. However, once they attem...

A decade of microinsurance innovation: promising or ‘meh’?

In October 2023, ...

Unique challenges and opportunities for Earth Observation in Rwanda

When I travelled the windy road from Kigali to the Volcanoes National Park to hike up Mount Bisoke, I spent most of my time looking out the window ...

Case study: Enhancing telecommunications connectivity through data analytics

The Government of Rwanda’s ambitious plan to become a cashless economy by 2024 has seen significant efforts and investments in the cashless a...

Then and now: Is Ethiopia at an inflection point after 15 years of insurance underdevelopment?

Very little has changed in the Ethiopian insurance industry over the last fifteen years but there is a po...

Digitising destinations: a tourist’s journey starts online

COVID-19 turned some of us into virtual voyagers. We spent hours scrolling through posts of p...

Open Finance in Africa: Designing context-appropriate approaches for the financial sector

Open Finance can be defined as the sharing of consumer data between financial service providers (FSPs) and/or third-party providers on the basis of...

Reflections on the policy evolution in Rwanda’s ICT sector

In implementing the ...

Remittances, a vital contributor to the SDGs

Remittances are a valuable lifeline for Africans, with over USD 100 billion flowing into the continent annually from a m...

Impact from the Remittance Access Initiative

KYC and CDD requirements can inhibit access to remittances for low-income, r...

Catalysing the use of data and digital technology for tourism in Ghana

Ghana’s tourism industry presents an exciting landscape for growth, ...

Mutual digital infrastructure could drive formalised, inclusive payments in SADC

Interoperable payment systems improve the efficiency and effectiveness of retail and cross-border payments. Cenfri worked with BankservAfrica on a ...

Guidance notes to public sector data frameworks

If properly catalogued, classif...

Developing capacity to boost data-driven decision-making in Rwanda

In recent years, Rwanda has embarked on a transformative journey towards digitalisation to fuel economic growth and innovation. The ...

An assessment of customer due diligence and identity regulatory frameworks

Innovation opportunities for enhanced remittance access...

Understanding CBDC and its application in emerging markets

Central banks have cited several reasons for considering or piloting central bank digital currencies (CBDC). These inclu...

Digitisation contributes to improved remittance access and a better customer experience

The ...

Tailored CBDC technical assistance in emerging markets

Reco...

5 lessons for designing fit-for-purpose health microinsurance

Gakere is a 49-year-old mechanic from Nairobi, and like ...

Revealing the consumer experience of digital finance in low- and middle-income countries

Consumers face several frustrations with the potential to affect their experience of digital financial services. These include system glitches, ina...

Insurance regulation and innovation: An assessment of 8 African insurance markets

To support regulatory authorities in sub-Saharan Africa in promoting inclusive insurance market development, there is a ...

Consumer protection in digital finance

The authors of this report would like to acknowledge the support of the International Dialogue on Consumer Protection...

Data insights in achieving retail growth in Rwanda

The retail and trade (merchant) sector is one of the priority sectors for the ...

Enhancing identity verification for refugees in Uganda

In Uganda, refugees and asylum seekers struggle to cash out their remittances due to challenging and time-consuming identity verification processes...

Training improves ability to unlock value from data

Capacity-development is a vital part of the ...

What will it take to build innovative insurance markets in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Despite the best efforts of sub-Saharan African (SSA) insurers, most African citizens ...

Lessons on improving remittance access in Africa

Learnings from the ...

Agriculture an important policy priority for Rwanda

Agriculture plays a major role in the Rwandan economy: close to 75% of the population’s livelihood depends on farming. However, the majority of t...

The potential of CBDCs for financial inclusion

...

Cenfri joins the Smart Africa Alliance

Kigali, Monday 29th August 2022 – The ...

Responsive and responsible regulation

The value of non-legally binding guidance Regulation is ...

CBDC for emerging markets: realities and expectations

Cenfri has deepened its work on CBDC amid growing interest from central banks ...

What is data-driven decision making and what does it mean for Rwanda?

Nothing illustrates the incredible power of data-driven decision-making more than the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Lamenting the disparit...

Holistic risk solutions for MSME resilience in Egypt

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Egypt Micro, small and medium-sized ent...

Building a data skills foundation is necessary to achieve meaningful digitalisation

One of the reasons so much emphasis is placed on digitalisation is...

Private sector partnerships for MSME resilience: Learnings from Africa

Opportunities await insurers and tech providers who are willing to work together ...

Insurance Innovation Dialogue

About the Insurance Innovation Dialogue To support insurance regulatory authorities ...

The role of different partners for effective MSME insurance

Insurers can partner with digital platforms, lenders and insurance aggregators to offer better products that...

Delivering remittances at the last mile

The role of...

Applying a gender lens to trade finance

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are considered engines of economic growth and development, especially in developing ...

Data scientists contribute to data-driven policymaking in Rwanda

The ...

Enhancing risk assessment processes for improved remittance access

Early insights from IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances and Cenfri Our work wi...

The role of women and finance in climate action

A changing climate affects everyone, but it’s the world’s poorest and most vulnerable, predominantly women and girls, who bear the brunt of env...

Opportunities for remittance-linked insurance products in SSA

A demand-side perspective of the risk management and resilience needs of remittance senders from South Africa to G...

Digitalizing farm to table supply chains in Asia

On-demand transport services and insurtech Whether as a customer or...

Empowering people to solve problems that matter

How Cenfri makes systemic change happen In helping to build...

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