The Gambia
Microfinance Network (GAMFINET), the umbrella organisation for microfinance
institutions (MFIs) in The Gambia, recently organized a five-day training
course for members at the GAFNA conference hall.
The training activity was on monitoring and evaluation with focus on the standards performance indicators and governance strategies to improve microfinance service delivery.
The objective of the training session was to enhance knowledge and skills on quality data collection and governance strategies, so as to enhance the operations of the microfinance institutions in The Gambia.
The M&E training course focused on quality data collection, monitoring and evaluation, based on the standard financial and social performance indicators used in microfinance to facilitate information-sharing and analysis of performance, and trends in the microfinance industry.
This is expected to support the network to produce national microfinance industry data and reports to share with stakeholders, to inform national development planning.
The training exercise was also meant to prepare MFIs to adopt best practices in microfinance reporting, to subsequently join and share reports with the Global Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) in the near future.
The governance training session focused on the importance of good governance practices in institutional development and management, for quality operations from the office to the field level.
The participants were exposed to the concept of governance and good practices, used by microfinance institutions to enhance service delivery for sustainable operations.
Qualified microfinance practitioners with both local and international experience in the industry facilitated both training sessions.
Participants attended the training course from 18 microfinance institutions, from the management to the operational staff across the country.
The entire training process was participatory and engaging, and participants expressed satisfaction of the areas covered and promised to apply them in their office work.
The training activity was officially opened by Lamin Camara, deputy permanent secretary Ministry of Finance, and attended by some board members of the network.
It was funded by the Gambia Growth and Competitiveness Project (GGCP) and is one of the series of activities supported from a partnership agreement signed with the network for 2014.
