COMING UP!》Ep.82 | Time with GHASALC: Towards Financial Inclusion of the Informal Economy

Episode #82
(Season 4; Ep.17):
Time with GHASALC: Towards Financial
Inclusion of the Informal Economy
Season 4 is STILL on the theme of “making money for Africa”.

In the second ediࢢon for the month of July, it's all about financial inclusion, mobile money & a perspecࢢve from Ghana Associaࢢon of Savings& Loans Company.

Back in Season 1, in July 2014, we interrogated the quesࢢon that:
"In the difficult prevailing economic condiࢢons, it islikely that more people are operaࢢng in a so-called shadow economy where they have a 9-to-5 job, and couple it with one in the informal economy.

A general discussion needsto be had so Africans can begin to reflect on the trajectory ofthe sector, and how it can bemodernized. And a specific discussion isfound wanࢢng because countries, such as Rwanda, do not necessarily have an informal sector in the tradiࢢonal way that people in West Africa understand it.

So, what isit, for example, that they have been doing to upset the apple cart on modernizing the economy? Isthere something that other African countries can, yet again, learn from this small, landlocked country in East Africa that has been geࢰng thingsright a[er the country died in 1994? "

We left the 8 July 2014 ediࢢon knowing that countries like Rwanda do not have an informal sector as obtains with the structure ofthe economies of West Africa.

The conversaࢢon about Rwanda is yet-again important as it comes from a region that, arguably, pioneered the sub-set of financial inclusion we now know asmobilemoney.
For a show that frequently compares and contrasts East and West Africa, we are parࢢcularly excited by the fact that the commencement of MPESA in Kenya is a crystal-clear example of best pracࢢces from the East coast of Africa in sࢢmulaࢢng financial inclusion.

In 2013, theAfrican Development Bank defined financial inclusion as:
"...a mulࢢdimensional concept that encompasses all iniࢢaࢢves, from both supply and demand sides, within the financial sector. They include provision of appropriate and quality financing that is both accessible and affordable to low-income and other vulnerable households. Notably they target groups tradiࢢonally excluded from the formal financial sector."

If we can losely argue that a subset of financial inclusion is mobile money, then, perhaps, a conversaࢢon with GHASALC on what it thinks of financial inclusion isimportant in figuring out how it can form part of a larger conversaࢢon on making money for Africa.

Join us if you can at 14h05 on Wednesday 20 July, 2016
Call us on the following number
+233(302)777.173

Guiding questions
➢ What is the difference between microfinance and savings & loans organisations like GHASALC?
➢ What is financial inclusion, as seen through lens of GHASALC?
➢ Is mobile money a boon or a threat to savings and loans companies?
Guest in the studio

PODCAST!>>Ep.39: Impact of Ghana's Power Crisis(1): Why Renewable Energy?

EPISODE #39
Research & Co-ordination: E.K.Bensah Jr
Executive Producer: E.K.Bensah Jr
Technical  Producer: D.J. Stagger

"Dear friends,

Kindly note due to a technical challenge, we were compelled to pre-record the show, which will be re-played on the Radio XYZ93.1 FM on 28 April, 2015 at 13h00 GMT. 

In the meantime, allow us to explain that, we used the thirty-ninth edition of the Africa in Focus Show to commence an important discussion in our "Energy Security & Renewable Energy" month on defining renewable energy and explore different aspects of the topic.

H.E.Charles Josob

We first spoke to the High Commissioner of Namibia H.E.Charles Josob, which country is celebrating 25 years of independence from South Africa, but in 2006, had the foresight to establish a Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Institute, which is located in one of the universities.
 To the extent that Namibia is even exporting power to South Africa's ESKOM (through the SADC Power Pool) suggests it is a country on the move as far as energy security is concerned. This point is buttressed by the High Commissioner's deep insights into Namibia's renewable energy technology potential, with a focus on solar energy.

Also on the line was Executive Secretary of the Ghana Association of Savings & Loans(GHASALC) Eunice Marfo who, in a brief interview, explained how GHASALC members had yet to consider renewables as they were fearful of the risk involved in considering it. She admitted that PPPs would be something, when fully-formulated, members may consider. Her message to the PURC was to be mindful of investors as Ghana continues to feel the impact of the power crisis.

But the main beef of the discussion was with Nana Yaa Jantuah of Public Utilities Regulatory Commission(PURC); and Lovans Owusu-Takyi and Bridget Menyeh -- both of SNV Netherlands Development Organisation.

Nana Yaa Jantuah

Lovans(L); Bridget (R)

PURC was there to offer insights into their advocacy on solar energy; and ways to finance it; while SNV spoke to us about why renewable energies are an important response to Ghana's power crisis; and why it is important to take seriously such technologies as sources of (new) employment.


Kindly find a link to download the podcast below:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lzibu0kerczcrxl/AFRICAN%20IN%20FOCUS%20PRE-RECORDED%2014-04-2015.mp3?dl=0

Kind regards,
Emmanuel