Learning about finance and investment in Burundi
WOMEN INVEST (WIN) is the first women's investment club in Burundi committed to act towards changing the economic landscape of women. WIN’s mission is to allow women get access to modern financial instruments for an inclusive economic development.
Its aims are:
- To put in place innovative financing mechanisms for women,
- To promote women's leadership and entrepreneurship,
- To position women as economic stakeholders rather than spectators, and
- To accelerate the inclusive economic emergence of women in Burundi.
To date, WIN brings together 58 women from diverse backgrounds who put together their savings and invest in the Burundian economy. WIN is the first initiative in Burundi dedicated to women investors into a broad portfolio that over time will bridge the gender finance gap by supporting women-led businesses.
With the support of NUFFIC through the Tailor-Made-Training program, MSM is building the capacity of WIN members to develop top quality finance and investment decision making skills and learn how to express their view on investment matters.
This will allow WIN to develop affordable financial services tailored to the needs of women entrepreneurs as well as the recognition of their importance as a market segment in the financial sector in Burundi.
WIN members as Change agents
MSM is providing a training on Financial Literacy to WIM Members. According to OECD, financial literacy is not only the knowledge and understanding of financial concepts and risks but also the skills, motivation, and confidence to apply such knowledge and understanding to make effective decisions across a range of financial contexts, to improve the financial well-being of individuals and society, and to enable participation in economic life. Financial literacy plays a crucial role in financial inclusion, inclusive growth, and sustainable prosperity.
Synergy with other Dutch programmes in Burundi
The Dutch government believes that investing in women’s education and employment reduces poverty and encourages economic growth and development. As the World Bank puts it, “gender equality is smart economics.”
It’s for this reason that the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in Burundi supported this initiative. Indeed, the first secretary of the EKN, Aika van der Kleij, attended one of the trainings and gave a motivational speech to WIN members. WIN and MSM team also met Marja Esveld, the Deputy head of mission of EKN, to discuss about the training and potential future collaboration with the embassy.
Hybrid teaching on the basics of finance and investments
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Prof. Meine Pieter van Dijk was unfortunately not able to travel to teach one component of the course in person. He provided the training online instead where he taught the members on the basics of finance and investment. Alain Nkurikiye, the local consultant, was able to provide the training face to face. the training focused on SME Finance and the different structures of investment vehicles. The participants were able to follow the 2 trainings together in a room, where the covid-19 measures were taken into account. As the participants were gathered in a room together this made working together on assignments and tasks enjoyable and informative. Through this hybrid model a cooperative environment was created.
Orange Knowledge Programme
This project is part of the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) which is funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Nuffic. For more information click here.
MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies
This project is part of MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies. The department is an expert centre on local economic development in emerging and developing markets. We capacitate managers and professionals from government, private sector, NGOs, and post-secondary education in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. We offer consultancy and customized training programs, and we manage complex projects in key sectors, e.g. water, agriculture and health. For more information click here.
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MSM to start Financial Literacy training for a women investment club in Burundi
