Graduates celebrate completing leadership & diversity program

Cheers and applause broke out as the graduates of the first-ever Leadership and Diversity Program for Regulators received their certificates of accomplishment on September 9 ahead of the official opening of the 2019 AFI Global Policy Forum (GPF) in Kigali, Rwanda.

The nine-month program – jointly run by Women’s World Banking and AFI – supports financial regulators in developing policies that narrow the financial inclusion gender gap and build more gender-diverse teams and leaders within financial institutions. The program, funded by Visa Foundation, set up together with AFI, is taught by Women’s World Banking and faculty from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.

“This graduation – being the first of its kind in the AFI network – gives us even more reasons to celebrate its successful conclusion. I’m confident that with this experience, the future is much brighter and I urge all the partners to remain fully engaged,” said National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) Governor John Rwangombwa in a speech before taking to stage to hand out the certificates to the graduates. BNR is co-hosting the 2019 AFI GPF along with AFI.

“As a member of the AFI network, we urge the backing of initiatives that promote gender equity, gender equity leadership and diversity. This will pave the way for women’s development and exponential economic growth in our different jurisdictions,” he added.

Sixteen organizations – including many AFI member institutions – from 14 countries took part in the program, each represented by a senior executive and a “high-potential women”, a mid-level professional with leadership potential. While both groups followed the course together, senior officials were responsible for identifying gender-related challenges and work with their junior colleagues to develop relevant policy solutions while also supporting her professional development.

AFI Executive Director Dr. Alfred Hannig congratulated the graduates, adding that “diversity in institutions can have an impact on innovation, job satisfaction and even team spirit … it’s very important that together we find a consensus to drive [gender diversity and women’s leadership empowerment] forward and I’m very happy that we’re all delivering on the Denarau Action Plan”.

Gender and women’s financial inclusion in AFI is spearheaded by the adoption and effective implementation of the Denarau Action Plan, which calls on the AFI membership to halve the financial inclusion gender gap in their respective jurisdictions by 2021.

“These incredible leaders recognize that policy is not ‘gender blind’ and a deliberate strategy must be taken to build economic growth and stability for all of their citizens,” Women’s World Banking CEO Mary Ellen Iskenderian said. “I look forward to seeing the progress that is made across these diverse markets that the participants represent”.

Beginning in January, the Visa Foundation-funded program included virtual learning plus a week-long intensive study period at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School’s campus in the UK. At Oxford University, participants engaged in roundtables, classroom training and policy forums to develop the skills needed to create an enabling environment for women’s financial inclusion and the tools to advance women leaders within their institutions.

At the core of the program are country-specific policy initiatives that each participant develops with a focus on serving women for implementation within their jurisdiction. Here, participants explored a variety of topics, including financial literacy, insurance for women living in rural areas and internal gender-related mechanisms for financial institutions.

For many of the participants, the experience has been invaluable. Among them is Alba Patricia Chamorro Rodriguez, Directora General Adjunta de Regulacion Bursatil at Mexico’s Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores (CNBV).

“It has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life, it combines a strong academic content, the possibility of meeting extraordinary women, in an emblematic place,” said Rodriguez, one of the group’s high-potential women.

While today’s graduation ceremony marks the official end of the program in 2019, its organizers aim to ensure longer-term accountability by periodically checking in on their former students to collect data and timelines, as well as for peer-to-peer exchanges.

AFI member institutions in 36 countries have already articulated national policy commitments on gender and women’s financial inclusion under the Maya Declaration, the only global initiative that encourages national commitments to financial inclusion.

Following its success of the leadership program, applications to attend next year’s cohort will open shortly with the new term due to commence in January 2020. To learn more about the program, click here.

Below is a list of the 2019 graduates:

Alba Patricia Rodríguez Chamorro, General Deputy Director of Securities Regulation, CNBV (Mexico)

Alicia Pastrana–Leslie, Financial Analyst, Office of the Supervisor of Insurance and Private Pension (Belize)

Alma Gomez, Supervisor of Insurance and Pensions, Office of the Supervisor of Insurance & Private Pensions (Belize)

Amany Shamseldin, Sub Governor, Central Bank of Egypt (Egypt)

Ann Valery Victor Metellus, Financial Inclusion Analyst, Bank of the Republic of Haiti (Haiti)

Anna Zelentsova, Advisor to the Director, Strategic Coordinator, Ministry of Finance (Russia)

Audrey Hove, Deputy Director, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

Aulia Intani, Bank Indonesia (Indonesia)

Cleopatra Davis, Manager, Central Bank of The Bahamas (Bahamas)

Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Governor, National Bank of Rwanda (Rwanda)

Dr. Denni, Deputy III for Analysis and Oversight of Strategic Issues on Economic Affairs, Executive Office of the President of Republic of Indonesia (Indonesia)

Ethel Adzimah, Deputy Manager/Bank Examiner, Bank of Ghana (Ghana)

Gail Makenete, Second Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Lesotho (Lesotho)

Georgette Jean-Louis, General Director and Board Member, Bank of the Republic of Haiti (Haiti)

Grace Citra Dewi, Advisor Executive Office of the President of Republic of Indonesia (Indonesia)

Hery Njaka, Head of Service, Ministry of Finance and Budget (Madagascar)

Ida Rumondang Hasiholan Sipahutar, Senior Advisor, Executive Office of the President of Republic of Indonesia     (Indonesia)

Judge Khaled El Nashar, Vice Chairman, Financial Regulatory Authority (Egypt)

Lyness Mambo, Assistant Director, Examinations & Surveillance, Bank of Zambia (Zambia)

Marco Del Rio, General Director, CNBV (Mexico)

Martiniqua Moxey, Assistant Manager, Finance, Central Bank of the Bahamas (Bahamas)

Mirriam Kamuhuza, Assistant Director, Payment Systems, Bank of Zambia (Zambia)

Nivoarizay Razafindrakoto, Treasury Inspector, Chief of Division, Ministry of Finance and Budget (Madagascar)

Novi Cahyono, Senior Analyst, Bank Indonesia (Indonesia)

Patience Yeboah Nkansah, Assistant Director, Bank of Ghana (Ghana)

Perihan Hegazy, Risk Analyst, Central Bank of Egypt (Egypt)

Puseletso Tau, Head of Banking Supervision Division, Central Bank of Lesotho (Lesotho)

Rita Kayibanda, Senior Analyst Financial Inclusion and Education, National Bank of Rwanda (Rwanda)

Serey Chea, Assistant Governor/Director General, National Bank of Cambodia (Cambodia)

Sotthy Sum, Chief of Section, Central Bank of Cambodia (Cambodia)

Dr. Tukiya Kankasa-Mabula, Deputy Governor Administration, Bank of Zambia (Zambia)

Yasmin Hassan, Board Secretary and Micro Finance Epecialist, Financial Regulatory Authority (Egypt)

About AFI

AFI is the world’s leading organization on financial inclusion policy and regulation. One hundred member institutions make up the AFI network including central banks, ministries of finance and other financial regulators from over 80 developing and emerging countries. AFI works on empowering policymakers to increase access and usage of quality financial services for the underserved through formulation, implementation and global advocacy of sustainable and inclusive policies.

About Women’s World Banking 

Women’s World Banking designs and invests in the financial solutions, institutions and policy environments in emerging markets to create greater economic stability and prosperity for women, their families, and their communities. With a global reach of 53 partners in 32 countries serving more than 30 million women clients, Women’s World Banking drives impact through its scalable, market-driven solutions; gender-lens private equity fund; and leadership and diversity programs.