Microfinance and Financial Inclusion Training Course

This five-day course builds the skills to manage a microfinance institution soundly while genuinely advancing financial inclusion. It covers microfinance business models and products, group and individual lending methodologies, portfolio quality and risk management, savings mobilisation, and the social performance measures that keep an institution true to its mission. Participants leave able to manage a microfinance operation that is financially sound and meaningfully inclusive.

Microfinance promised to bank the unbanked, and across Africa it has done exactly that for millions of people a conventional bank would never serve. But microfinance institutions fail more often than their mission suggests they should, usually not for lack of good intentions but for lack of the operational discipline that any lender needs: sound portfolio management, real cost control, and products that actually fit how low income clients earn and spend.

This course builds that discipline alongside the mission, grounded in the realities of microfinance institutions, savings and credit cooperatives, and financial inclusion programmes across Africa. It covers microfinance business models and products, group and individual lending methodologies, portfolio quality and risk management, savings mobilisation, and the social performance measurement that keeps an institution accountable to the clients it serves. Participants leave able to manage a microfinance operation that is both financially sustainable and genuinely inclusive.

• Explain microfinance business models and how they differ from commercial banking
• Design group and individual lending methodologies suited to different markets
• Assess portfolio quality using portfolio at risk and related measures
• Apply sound underwriting practice to low income and informal borrowers
• Evaluate savings mobilisation as a source of funding and client value
• Manage operational and credit risk specific to microfinance
• Measure social performance and client protection alongside financial results
• Appraise the role of digital channels in extending microfinance reach
• Strengthen governance and institutional sustainability

This course is designed for:

• Microfinance institution managers and staff
• SACCO and savings and credit cooperative staff
• Loan officers and branch managers
• Financial inclusion programme staff at NGOs and donors
• Digital finance staff serving low income segments
• Central bank and regulatory staff overseeing microfinance
• Commercial bank staff running downscaling or inclusion units
• Board members and governance staff of microfinance institutions

The course uses a practical, case based methodology drawing on microfinance institutions, SACCOs and inclusion programmes across Africa, with portfolio and product exercises throughout.

• Expert led sessions and facilitated discussion
• Microfinance case studies from across Africa
• Portfolio at risk and product design exercises
• Group lending simulations and role play
• A daily practical session building towards an institutional health review

Organisations undertaking this training will gain the capability to:

• A more financially sustainable microfinance operation
• Better managed portfolio quality and lower delinquency
• Products that better fit client cash flow and needs
• Stronger savings mobilisation and client funding
• Improved social performance and client protection outcomes
• More confident engagement with regulators and donors
• Better governance and institutional accountability
• Stronger use of digital channels to extend reach
• A more resilient, mission aligned institution

Upon completion of this programme, participants will be able to:

• A clear command of microfinance business models and methodologies
• The ability to read and act on portfolio quality indicators
• Stronger skills in designing products for low income clients
• Greater confidence balancing mission and financial sustainability
• Sharper judgement in credit and portfolio decisions
• A valued specialism in inclusive finance
• Stronger credibility with boards, regulators and donors
• A practical toolkit of microfinance tools and benchmarks
• A stronger platform for senior microfinance or inclusion roles

At Strategic Revenue Africa, our certification goes beyond proof of attendance—it represents practical competence and measurable capability. Upon successful completion of our training programs, participants are awarded a Certificate of Completion from Strategic Revenue Africa, recognizing their ability to apply acquired knowledge in real-world settings. As an organization focused on architecting sustainable revenue and strengthening organizational performance, our certifications signal that participants are equipped with skills that drive results, not just theory.

The course suits those managing or working within microfinance institutions, SACCOs, savings groups or financial inclusion programmes. Comfort with basic numeracy is sufficient.