Financial and Administrative Officer
Financial and Administrative Officer
Location: Germany
Type of involvement: Full time
THE COMPANY
CCX Inclusive Business (CCX IB) is a strategy consulting firm, based in Geneva, Switzerland, that works with financial service providers and policymakers on translating consumer insights into market strategies and policies to reach the un/underserved.
Our mission is to develop scalable solutions that are based on deep insights into the lives, needs and constraints of un/underserved people in emerging markets to improve their livelihoods and create opportunities for economic growth. To accomplish this mission, we focus on Entrepreneurship and SME Development, Inclusive Finance (including gender-intelligent finance), and Policy Dialogue and Regulation. We are a young and growing company with international partners and staff working in fast-paced and often changing environments.
We have delivered over 60 projects reaching more than 8 million previously unbanked clients in both the largest emerging markets and the poorest landlocked countries.
THE POSITION
CCX IB is seeking a Financial and Administrative Officer to provide a variety of administrative and financial business support duties. The successful candidate will be energetic, and detail orientated, who enjoys making a difference and being part of a team that takes pride in their work
Financial Administrative Officer (FAO)
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
- Minimum BS/BA in Finance, Business Administration or a related field
- Four+ years of relevant experience in financial management and program administration.
- Good interpersonal skills, team player, highly adaptable and able to work under stress.
- Sensitivity to the concerns of the developing world and able to work with providers from different cultural backgrounds.
- Good oral and written communication skills, with an excellent command of English.
- Highly computer literate, highly skilled in the use of MS Office (especially Excel)
- Experienced to build and explore new processes and systems
DUTIES
Overview of Position: The Financial Administrative Officer (FAO) provides financial/administrative management oversight of ConsumerCentriX activities, to include budgeting, forecasting, and preparing the necessary documentation for accounting and implementation of all services required to financially and administratively support CCX IB operations as procurements and some staff-related duties. The FAO will also provide complementary administrative support.
Line of Authority: The FAO reports directly to the Managing Partner and coordinate the work with all partners. The FAO works closely with the CCX IB accountant and other stakeholders in a collaborative manner and will promote a collegial and participatory approach to project management and implementation.
Roles and Responsibilities: The Financial Administrative Officer will perform the following tasks:
I. Financial Management Duties
- Input Payments & Transfers
- Monitor expenditures to ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory policies
- Revise & Approve Expense Reports in line with regulations
- Supervise cash flow tracking and prepare cash flow forecasts
- Assist in the preparation and monitoring of project/ program budgets
- Track resource & project profitability i.e w timesheets
II. Administrative Duties
a) Human Resources
- Recruitment: Ensure that recruitment for internal and external staff is conducted in a transparent manner and follows CCX IB policies and procedures
- Ensure that contracts for all temporaray consultants are prepared in a timely manner, and are fully compliant with labor laws; maintain contract files;
- Track and oversee time and attendance reporting; 2) vacation and leave management, and 3) personnel recordkeeping;
b) Procurement
- In collaboration with project leads and project budget leads prepare RFPs, RFQs, specifications, delivery schedules, etc., for services to be procured internationally; submit for review and approval
- Approve contracts for consultants
- Reviews agreements with donors/funders – summarise key points in document
III. Other Duties
- Supervise and ensure relevant insurance coverage
- Participate / Lead and assist in the preparation of new technical proposals, as necessary
IV. Management Reporting
The FAO is responsible for production / supervision of the following reports:
- Lead - Monthly Financial Report and forecast (P&L, CF; Balance)
- Supervise - Quarterly Administrative and Logistics Report (MSA / SOW update etc)
- Weekly Progress Report
- Lead - Quarterly financial report (in collaboration with the accountant)
- Create - Resource Utilisation and Resource Forecast
CONDITIONS
Qualified applicants should submit a current resume detailing relevant training and experience, together with the names and contact information of at least three professional references to jobs@consumercentrix.ch
The Subject line should read CCX Financial Administrative Officer
African Women Rising Initiative
African Women Rising Initiative
African Women Rising Initiative
Women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa face a myriad of challenges in operating and growing their businesses. The challenges begin early, as women in the region often have lower secondary education levels and less professional experience in the formal sector. When starting a business, women are less likely to have a mentor or role model and often have a greater need to access a capacity building, supportive networks, and market information than their male counterparts.
As it stands today, financial services in the region are generally not designed to be gender inclusive. Most financial intermediaries (FIs) require fixed collateral to secure a business loan. This requirement presents an immediate barrier to women entrepreneurs as laws and social norms in many Sub-Saharan markets restrict women’s rights to own property. As a result, many women struggle to grow their businesses because they cannot meet the collateral requirements.
In cooperation with the International Project Consult (IPC) and the African Management Institute (AMI), ConsumerCentriX was selected by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the African Women Rising Initiative (AWRI)*. This will be achieved by focusing on the demand side by empowering women entrepreneurs through capacity building, mentoring, and networking activities and on the supply side by supporting the FIs in designing, establishing, and actively promoting financial services better tailored to women entrepreneurs’ needs.
As part of the technical advisory work, the Consortium will ensure that partner FIs build their capacity to conduct market research and develop business cases to design, market, and evaluate gender-inclusive solutions. Simultaneously, the Consortium will increase FIs’ ability to provide meaningful training and mentoring opportunities to women entrepreneurs.
Phase 1 June 2020-February 2021:
The Consortium conducted a mapping exercise of all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to understand the baseline of women’s financial and economic inclusion, opportunities, and entrepreneurial activities in the region. Based on an overall conducive environment and gaps in women’s financial inclusion and entrepreneurship, the Consortium recommended countries for project implementation. These countries have varying percentages of formal small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs) that are women-led or -owned and a strong potential for more with existing conducive regulatory and social environments and/or the opportunity to leverage digital channels to deepen financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment. To identify potential partner in these countries, the Consortium reached out to EIB partner institutions aiming to gather insights into each FI’s existing focus on women as a target segment, desire to serve women entrepreneurs, and capacity to absorb the technical assistance.
Phase 2 March 2021-April 2023
For the project’s implementation phase, EIB will select four countries and a combination of commercial banks and microfinance institutions, to be part of the program.
AWRI will focus on both the market maker and banking on change perspectives – the market maker perspective ensures women have the capacity to access financing, and the banking on change perspective ensures FIs have the capacity to serve them well in a way that meets their unique needs and preferences.
The three-year technical advisory program will start with a need assessment of the FIs, which will be followed by market research in each country, resulting in the design and launch of a value proposition for women entrepreneurs addressing both their financial and non-financial needs. FIs will be close collaborators throughout the project, culminating in a handover phase, contributing to the program’s sustainability and long-term impact.
* The technical assistance operation is financed under the Cotonou Investment Facility. ConcumerCentriX takes full responsibility for the contents of this Publication. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the view of the European Union or of the European Investment Bank.
per
Meet the Winners
Long headline to turn your visitors into users
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
IN THE NEWS | Hatangijwe ubukangurambaga buzashimirwamo ibigo bito byagaragaje umuhate mu kwigobotora ingaruka za Covid-19
Hatangijwe ubukangurambaga buzashimirwamo ibigo bito byagaragaje umuhate mu kwigobotora ingaruka za Covid-19
Bizakorwa binyuze mu rubuga SME Response Clinic rwatangijwe n’urugaga rw’abikorera mu Rwanda (PSF) ku bufatanye n’Ikigo cy’igihugu giharanira ko serivisi z’imari zigera kuri bose, Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR), hagamijwe kugeza amakuru ya ngombwa ku bari mu bucuruzi mu guhangana n’ingaruka za Covid-19.
Urwo rubuga rukusanyirizwaho amakuru n’ubujyanama ku icungamari, imisoro, imikoranire na banki n’aho abari mu bucuruzi bakura ibishoro muri iki gihe cya Covid-19.
Ubukangurambaga bwa ‘Twiteze Imbere’ buzamara ibyumweru bitatu, bukubiyemo gusangira amakuru y’uburyo ibigo by’ubucuruzi bito n’ibiciriritse byabashije guhangana n’ibihe bikomeye by’icyorezo cyugarije Isi. Hazanashishikarizwa ba rwiyemezamirimo na ba nyir’ibigo by’ubucuruzi bitandukanye kwitabira gahunda za SME Response Clinic, ndetse ibizagaragaza ubudasa bihabwe ishimwe.
Icyo gikorwa kizaterwa inkunga na Access to Finance Rwanda, ConsumerCentriX, Urugaga rw’Abikorera mu Rwanda (PSF), Ishyirahamwe ry’Ibigo by’Imari Iciriritse Bikorera mu Rwanda (AMIR), Ikigo Nyafurika Kigamije Guteza Imbere Imiyoborere (AMI), New Faces New Voices Rwanda, n’Ishyirahamwe ry’Amabanki mu Rwanda.
MFW4A webinar: Gender finance as an opportunity during crisis times
MFW4A webinar: Gender finance as an opportunity during crisis times
Alejandra Rios, Partner at ConsumerCentrix, recently participated in a webinar hosted by Making Finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A).This article originally appeared on Platform Africa’s website.
By Erica Yanice B.Essono Nze-Bekale, Darylle Tangara & Karungi Kajura
Women entrepreneurs represent a real opportunity for financial institutions provided they develop products and services as well as a suitable environment to meet their specific needs
Statistics have shown that female entrepreneurship in Africa is the highest in the world at 24 percent compared to 11 percent South East Asia Pacific and 9 percent Europe. It was also noticed that as borrowers, women entrepreneurs repay better than men. However, they face multiple constraints specific to them (household management, interruption of working life due to maternity and illnesses of their children). In addition, they are more vulnerable in times of crisis, but are better able to proactively seek solutions with Financial Institutions in times of crisis.
Addressing this issue, on 4 March 2021, the Making finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A) in collaboration with the IPC, Horus and IECD Consortium hosted a webinar entitled “Gender finance as an opportunity during crisis times”. This session was the last of a series of four (4) webinars dedicated to banks and microfinance institutions in West and Central Africa within the context of the European Investment Bank (EIB) TA Financial sector programme for these regions.
Platform Africa covered the fourth session, and it dealt with topics relating to the financing of entrepreneurship and finance for women as an opportunity in such a crisis. The goal was to help realise the full potential of the African financial sector and stimulate economic development and reduce poverty.
The session was moderated by Edwige Takassi, from IPC GmBH and member of the Women in Africa Network and the three panellists sharing their insights on this topic were: Kady Traoré, Managing Director of Fin’elle of Group Cofina; Alejandra Rios, Partner at ConsumerCentrix and Head of the African Women Rising Initiative (AWRI) funded by the EIB, and Tania Colantone, Social Development Specialist at EIB.
Enhancing your Business Management Skills as Rwanda Reopens for Business
Enhancing your Business Management Skills as Rwanda Reopens for Business
February 18th, 2021, at 3 pm CAT
Join the SME Response Clinic for a live discussion featuring business development services providers in Rwanda. Learn about opportunities to enhance your management skills as Rwanda reopens for business. The discussion will be hosted on the SME Response Clinic’s Facebook page on February 18th at 3 pm CAT and held primarily in Kinyarwanda.
Moderator: Eric Musizana, Agriculture & Rural Finance Project Officer, Access to Finance Rwanda
Panelists:
- Dr. Mukulira Olivier, Managing Director at the Rwanda Institute of Cooperatives, Entrepreneurship, and Microfinance
- Sarah Mukunde, Senior Manager, Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali
- Malik Shaffy Lizinde, Country Manager, African Management Institute
Please note that the Livestream will not be available until 3 pm CAT on February 18th, 2021
How the Tourism Sector in Uganda Can Recover and Thrive
The COVID-19 Business Hub spoke with Richard Kawere, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Association, to learn how the tourism sector in Uganda can recover from the pandemic and thrive in the future. In partnership with Stanbic Bank of Uganda, ConsumerCentriX is responsible for creating content for the COVID-19 Business Info Hub.
Ernest: Can you please introduce yourself and describe your role at Uganda Tourism Association and tell us; what does the association do for the tourism sector?
Richard Kawere: My name is Richard Kawere, the Chief Executive Officer and technical coordinator of the Uganda Tourism Association. Uganda Tourism Association is the umbrella body of tourism private sector in Uganda. In my role as the chief executive officer, I ensure that the association meets its mandate. This involves coordinating the private sector, in terms of advocacy, capacity building, product development, marketing and harmonized quality assurance standards.
We have approximately eight-member associations, including the Association of Guide Tour Operators, the Hotel Owners Association, and The Travel Agents Association. The General Managers Association, the Uganda Safari Guide Association, the National Cultural Crafts Association and the Tourism Trade show.
We remain focused on ensuring that we have a sustainable tourism industry in Uganda. To achieve this vision, we intervene between the government and the private sector for a favorable business environment for tourism enterprises in Uganda.
Ernest Wasake: Could you please tell us how the tourism sector has been affected by COVID?
Richard Kawere: The tourism sector has been the worst hit industry. If we are to narrow it down from the global perspective to the Ugandan perspective, the tourism industry was hit, actually before COVID entered Uganda. Because when COVID-19 hit the globe, cancelations started coming in as early as January and February. And those cancelations meant loss of business. As a result, businesses started going down as early as January and February.
By the time they announced a lockdown, tourism industry had already suffered substantial business loss. Each subsector of the tourism industry was hit differently. In terms of outbound tourism, the travel agents industry, suffered about 97 percent business loss with the announcement of airport closures. In terms of inbound tourism, our study (The Impact of Covid-19 on the tourism sector, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, July 2020) revealed that tour operators suffered about 80 percent business loss (around 30.4 Million US dollars – 0.11 trillion shillings) in inbound tourism between the months of February and July. Meanwhile, the accommodation sector lost about 1.19 trillion shillings by July as a result of 48,966 room cancelations. On average, the study that we conducted puts the industry at a loss of about 92 percent of businesses and because there was no activity, there were temporary layoffs and about 80 percent of the workforce was fully laid off.
Ernest Wasake: What needs to be done to help the tourism sector recover and thrive?
Richard Kawere: It requires a number of mixed strategies for our industry. All businesses lost revenue and continue to pay operating costs, meaning that all tourism businesses have run out of, what I would call, operational cash flow, and some of them are tentatively even closed. For the survival of the industry, we are looking at two dimensions: One dimension is survival in the form of grants and the other dimension is the recovery through soft loans. A mixture of those two is very important.
Marketing is also essential. As the globe settles down because now there’s this glimpse of a vaccine, it is all those countries that have been in touch with their clientele that will be on the travel lists. A good amount of money needs to be spent on constant marketing and promotion of Uganda as a destination. Because once there is some level of confidence for travelers to move, they will go to those destinations that have been properly marketed.
Additionally, Businesses need to be supported in the area of capacity building (both online and in person training), so they can design strategies to respond to such catastrophes like this one in the future. The psychological impact on business owners and employees is quite high. So making sure employees are counseled and also empowered through capacity building so that there is hope still ringing in the minds of these employees and the business enterprises. Most importantly is the adoption of technology as the new way for most of the business processes in the tourism industry. So first survive, then recover and then develop resilient mechanisms for future catastrophes.
Ernest Wasake: What would you say the future looks like in terms of if you were to sort of glance into what the future looks like, if the right things were put in place? What does the future look like for tourism?
Richard Kawere: Wherever there is a challenge, there’s always an opportunity. We have a very strong belief that this industry will bounce back strongly. Especially because people have been confined in [home] areas, we believe there is going to be a very strong push for people to move out and shake off the stress. That positive belief indicates that there will be an increased demand for the tourism services, both locally and internationally for both inbound and outbound.
It is also important that we have a secure and safe environment and a secure political environment. That gives confidence to our clients to arrive in one or two years since the vaccine is getting some little headway, maybe in about one year we may start [the journey of recovery] all over. The future of the industry is bright. What we need to do is to get our strategies right now. If we get our strategies right, then we would be able to compete favorably with other destinations.
How the Biashara Club transformed Patrick Malika’s network
How the Biashara Club transformed Patrick Malika’s network
In Kenya, it is difficult for potential landowners to purchase small plots of land. As a young entrepreneur interested in real estate, Patrick Malika recognized the gap in the market and started his own company that buys larger plots of lands and then divides that land into smaller plots for resell.
To buy larger parcels of land, he relies heavily on financing from KCB Bank. However as his business expanded, Patrick realized that he needed more than just financing to sustain growth. He needed a strong network. As a result, he joined KCB’s Biashara to club connect with other entrepreneurs. Last January, ConsumerCentriX spoke to Patrick to understand why networking was so important to his business’s success. .
How Samuel Njenga grew his school from 45 students to over 600 students
How Samuel Njenga grew his school from 45 students to over 600 students
Samuel Njenga is the executive director of the Saiwa Secondary School in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2009, he had just 45 students attending his school. By January 2020, the number of students had grown to 653. ConsumerCentriX spoke with Samuel to understand how Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) ’s emphasis on relationship management and business training helped grow his school.
A look back at 2020
A look back at 2020
Like small businesses across the globe, ConsumerCentriX felt firsthand the challenges of the pandemic in our work. The very nature of how we go about our business suddenly changed. As consultants, we have spent years addressing financial inclusion in emerging markets by working closely with local partners the world over – largely in person. By the end of March, it was clear that traveling would no longer be a possibility for us for the foreseeable future.
Instead, we had to find new ways to stay connected to our partners in different markets. We retained local teams in Nigeria, Uganda, and Rwanda to ensure that projects stayed on schedule and developed new relationships with additional external partners.
It will come as no surprise that like many, we traded meetings in bank boardrooms for meetings on computer screens. And while there is no true replacement for an in-person meeting, we realized that many of our established relationships could be maintained through regular video conferencing. For example, in 2019, we convened a group of high-level regulators at the Bellagio Center in Italy to discuss strategies for accelerating digital financial inclusion. Bonds were cemented and the group was committed to continue to work together. We anticipated re-convening the group in three additional in-person sessions over 2020-2021; however, in light of the pandemic, we took the group virtual. Each month, the group reconvenes on Zoom and discusses topics ranging from recent regulatory changes to improve banking laws to strategizing on how to leverage technologies such as QR codes for improved customer transactions.
The pandemic not only forced us to change the way we communicate with partners and external stakeholders but also allowed us to innovate when it came to interacting directly with entrepreneurs. When lockdowns began in Rwanda and Uganda back in March, we recognized the challenges that all entrepreneurs in these two countries faced in finding a centralized place to get information. As a result, we created two digital platforms, the SME Response Clinic and the COVID-19 Business Info Hub. Both sites provide regular updates on new policies, products and financial advice with the intention of helping entrepreneurs not only survive the pandemic but thrive in the time ahead.
Lastly, we also changed the way we interact with other stakeholders working in the financial inclusion space. We were excited to release a publication recently on the business case for providing non-financial services to women-owned SMEs at two highly visible virtual events – a Financial Alliance for Women Event in October and the SME Finance Forum in November. While we would have love to spoken in person with stakeholders about the publication, we were deeply gratified by conversations and enthusiasm communicated via virtual panels and chat messages.
While many things changed for us in 2020, our commitment to creating a more equitable world through inclusive finance has not wavered. If anything, our work has become more important than ever as the pandemic exacerbated economic disparities across markets. We hope to have made a lasting impact through the projects we wrapped up this year and to continue to make meaningful impact through new projects we engage in over the months and years to come.
2020 Project Updates
The following sections provide more information on our work in 10+ markets during what has been an unforgettable year.
OUr team had the opportunity to travel to Uganda to work on the segmentation one month before the lockdown.
Developing a holistic SME banking model to address financial and non-financial needs of entrepreneurs in East Africa
The key objective of this project is to develop a holistic SME banking model to address financial and non-financial needs of entrepreneurs in Uganda and Rwanda by partnering with two leading regional banks (Stanbic/Standard Bank Group and Kenya Commercial Bank) as well as NFS providers over a 3-year time period. We conducted customer segmentation studies that informed the design of SME propositions in both countries and assisted in the development of NFS offers for both banks. This project is funded by the Argidius Foundation
The Key to Unlocking the Growth Potential of Women led Small and Medium Enterprises for Banks
Global research on the insights in the business case for non-financial services to women-owned SMEs
In the fall of 2020, ConsumerCentriX produced a report and two case studies for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Dutch Development Bank (FMO), focusing on insights into the business case for non-financial services. Through extensive primary and secondary research, ConsumerCentriX identified the business case and best practices in providing non-financial services to women-owned SMEs
Click here to l.earn more about the Publication
Check out videos from the KCB Case Study
KCB Bank: Focusing on Women SMEs and non-financial services is a win-win for all
Non-financial services were instrumental in growing Patricia Mwangi’s business in Kenya
NFS from her bank helped Wanjiru Mbugua turn a side hustle into a thriving business
Check out example videos from the COVID-19 Business Info Hub
Cleaning up after COVID-19: An Interview with Lydia Syson Naiga of NLS Services Limited
Meet Rachel Lubega, Director of Quality Management Services Ltd
Meet Anne Namakula, Owner of Contour Consult
Check out example pieces of content from the SME Response Clinic
Simbare Gilbert, an Entrepreneur in Rwanda, explains the challenges of the pandemic and how he managed to overcome them.
Giselle Mukanyandwi, a Business Development Advisor, prepares entrepreneurs to overcome hardships and thrive
Mobile Money Charges in Rwanda
The Bellagio Working Group on Digital Financial Inclusion
Bellagio Working Group on Digital Financial Inclusion
In 2019, ConsumerCentriX conceived and facilitated “Identifying Practical Solutions to Accelerating Financial Inclusion Through Government and Private Sector Collaborations” convening with top regulators from Egypt, Indonesia, and Nigeria and leading technical experts which resulted in identification of country-level initiatives that have been subsequently incorporated into national financial inclusion plans in respective markets. Through the generous support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Bellagio Working Group on Digital Financial Inclusion was formalized in the spring of 2020.Through monthly virtual meetings, participants continue to collaborate by sharing important lessons and continuing to work together to find solutions for accelerating digital financial inclusion.
Check out this blog on the Bellagio Working Group to learn more.
Designing a Chatbot for Access Bank Nigeria
Through intensive market research and user testing, ConsumerCentriX helped design a user-friendly chatbot for a leading microfinance bank in Nigeria as part of their strategy to make more digital channels available to their clients. Research and user testing indicated that while COVID-19 has created many challenges for entrepreneurs, it has also made them more open to trying new technology. CCX provided key insights to support the institution in taking steps to bring customers along the journey from in-person interactions to personalized interactions via digital channels. The project was funded by the CDC Group.
Building National Gender Data Ecosystems
The Women’s Financial Inclusion Data (WFID) Partnership was established in 2014 and is one of the leading voices on women’s financial inclusion data across the world. After focusing on awareness building and outreach during the partnership’s early years, the next phase of efforts centers around supporting country-level sex-disaggregated supply-side data collection with a specific focus on two stakeholders: financial service providers and policymakers. The holistic ecosystem approach will actively encourage supply side gender data in Nigeria, Kenya, Bangladesh, Honduras, Pakistan, Turkey, Lebanon by 2022. ConsumerCentrix, is supporting the implementation of this second phase.
Enhancing access to finance for refugees through innovation
This summer, ConsumerCentriX joined forces with Roland Berger, Europe’s leading strategy consultancy firm, to identify opportunities for IFC to improve access to finance for refugees in immigration hotspots like Uganda, Jordan, and Colombia. Leveraging years of experience developing financial solutions in emerging markets, ConsumerCentriX conducted an in-depth analysis of financial and social realities facing refugees in their host countries. After extensive stakeholder engagement, ideation for innovative solutions to mobilize private sector resources and virtual Upstream workshops with over 100 attendants from relevant institutions, a clear roadmap for IFC was developed. This roadmap will lead to several pilot projects in 2021 to support refugee entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on growing businesses in the renewable energy sector. ConsumerCentriX is excited to apply its expertise further in the diaspora space to improve financial outcomes for refugees around the globe.