Government and financial sector players are stepping up efforts to strengthen skills in Rwanda’s microfinance sector as Umurenge Savings and Credit Cooperatives (U SACCOS) prepare to roll out digital services, including internet banking platforms expected by December 2026. The move comes as reforms increasingly focus on improving service delivery and preparing microfinance institutions to support the growing demand for digital financial services. ALSO READ: Internet banking for Umurenge SACCOs set for December 2026 According to Liberata Mukarumongi, a manager at the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), microfinance remains an important tool for expanding financial access, particularly among underserved communities, but noted that access alone is not enough. “It is now our responsibility to translate access to financial services into financial health by designing products that respond to the real challenges in our community,” she said. ALSO READ: Microfinance institutions to adopt shared agency banking system Mukarumongi noted that Rwanda’s economic transformation agenda depends on inclusion, sustainability and creating opportunities across society, adding that closing existing skills gaps in the sector is key to unlocking that potential. According to her, professional training is expected to help microfinance institutions improve service delivery, adopt innovation and sustain growth. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Zimbabwe join forces to unlock microfinance growth Olivier Mukulira, Managing Director of the Rwanda Institute of Cooperatives, Entrepreneurship and Microfinance (RICEM), said 127 professionals have been trained this year to address capacity gaps across the sector. He noted that while universities offer accounting and finance programmes, specialised training in microfinance remains limited despite the sector’s unique operational requirements. According to Mukulira, the training has also supported ongoing restructuring efforts, including the transition of SACCOs into district level entities. He said more than 98 percent of those trained have secured opportunities within SACCOs and other microfinance institutions. Mukulira explained that technical level training focused on operational areas where gaps had been identified, including loan and delinquency management and cashiering functions. Immaculee Uwingabiye, an accountant at Ubwiza SACCO Murambi branch, said one of the major gaps staff had been facing was keeping pace with emerging technologies as microfinance institutions become increasingly digitised.
