Cenfri is concerned about the global economic and health outcomes of the Coronavirus pandemic. We are continuing to work with partners and other organisations to better understand the impact of COVID-19, with a focus on the following areas:
This work aims to support policymakers and regulators, central banks, the private sector and others in the mutual efforts to improve resilience and encourage recovery in developing countries.
In 2019, one in five youth in Africa were not in employment, education or training [1]. Each year, 10 to 12 million youth enter the workforce [2], while only 3 million formal jobs are created. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and a deterioration in African growth prospects is expected
How digitising customer due diligence can strengthen providers during COVID-19 and beyond For the last two decades, financial inclusion practitioners have been addressing the barriers that prevent adults from accessing and using financial services that can improve their livelihoods. One of the major barriers, originally uncovered by FinMark Trust in
Many people have had their 2020 plans ruined by COVID-19, but the cross-border remittance opportunity in Nigeria is even more enticing right now. The World Bank expects cross-border remittances to drop dramatically in 2020, but many African players are experiencing a sharp increase in digital person-to-person flows as cash is
What challenges exist around remote onboarding? COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions to insurers’ operations, as they still have traditional business models and rely heavily on physical engagement for distribution. The lack of digitisation across the continent has emerged as a key barrier from our research on the impact that COVID-19
We recently spoke to the country manager for Bolt in South Africa, Gareth Taylor. Bolt is a digital platform that provides ride-hailing and scooter-sharing services, and it has more than 25 million users in over 30 countries[1]. Gareth has a long history in social entrepreneurship, having previously worked as the
In partnership with Organisation of Eastern & Southern Africa Insurers (OESAI) and FSD Africa, we have undertaken a survey to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on organisations operating in the insurance sector across Eastern and Southern Africa. This survey was augmented by 33 semi-structured telephonic interviews with different insurance
COVID-19 containment and mitigation measures in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have restricted the movement of people, goods and services. This has affected insurers’ operations, which, to a large extent, have traditionally required physical engagement. It is also affecting insurers’ ability to launch new products, conclude new sales, collect premiums, service existing
Why visible and proactive policy leadership matters more than ever for insurance in the wake of COVID-19 As we discussed in our first blog in this series, our deep dive studies[1] across four Sub-Saharan Africa countries show that insurance matters for sustainable development and growth on three fronts: by building
International concern about the impacts of climate change and natural disasters has brought the insurance community together to build resilience and manage risk more effectively. At a time when insurers should be leveraging their risk management skills and not merely selling risk transfer policies, some companies want to reduce their
In an age where we can send mail electronically in seconds at no cost rather than going to the post, it seems odd that people still walk around with pieces of metal and paper in their pockets to pay for things. Yet cash has remained the undisputed king of payments
In 2019, one in five youth in Africa were not in employment, education or training [1]. Each year, 10 to 12 million youth enter the workforce [2], while only 3 million formal jobs are created. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and a deterioration in African growth prospects is expected
How digitising customer due diligence can strengthen providers during COVID-19 and beyond For the last two decades, financial inclusion practitioners have been addressing the barriers that prevent adults from accessing and using financial services that can improve their livelihoods. One of the major barriers, originally uncovered by FinMark Trust in
Many people have had their 2020 plans ruined by COVID-19, but the cross-border remittance opportunity in Nigeria is even more enticing right now. The World Bank expects cross-border remittances to drop dramatically in 2020, but many African players are experiencing a sharp increase in digital person-to-person flows as cash is
What challenges exist around remote onboarding? COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions to insurers’ operations, as they still have traditional business models and rely heavily on physical engagement for distribution. The lack of digitisation across the continent has emerged as a key barrier from our research on the impact that COVID-19
We recently spoke to the country manager for Bolt in South Africa, Gareth Taylor. Bolt is a digital platform that provides ride-hailing and scooter-sharing services, and it has more than 25 million users in over 30 countries[1]. Gareth has a long history in social entrepreneurship, having previously worked as the
In partnership with Organisation of Eastern & Southern Africa Insurers (OESAI) and FSD Africa, we have undertaken a survey to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on organisations operating in the insurance sector across Eastern and Southern Africa. This survey was augmented by 33 semi-structured telephonic interviews with different insurance
COVID-19 containment and mitigation measures in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have restricted the movement of people, goods and services. This has affected insurers’ operations, which, to a large extent, have traditionally required physical engagement. It is also affecting insurers’ ability to launch new products, conclude new sales, collect premiums, service existing
Why visible and proactive policy leadership matters more than ever for insurance in the wake of COVID-19 As we discussed in our first blog in this series, our deep dive studies[1] across four Sub-Saharan Africa countries show that insurance matters for sustainable development and growth on three fronts: by building
International concern about the impacts of climate change and natural disasters has brought the insurance community together to build resilience and manage risk more effectively. At a time when insurers should be leveraging their risk management skills and not merely selling risk transfer policies, some companies want to reduce their
In an age where we can send mail electronically in seconds at no cost rather than going to the post, it seems odd that people still walk around with pieces of metal and paper in their pockets to pay for things. Yet cash has remained the undisputed king of payments
