Kigali, 16th 02 2021 -- Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) has appointed Mr Jean-Bosco Iyacu as the new Country Director to spearhead the implementation of the organization’s Phase III strategy that will commence in April 2021. Prior to becoming AFR’s Country Director, Iyacu served the organisation as the Director of Programs for the last 7 years and has been instrumental in the design and implementation of a diverse range of financial inclusion and financial sector development programs in Rwanda. Before joining AFR, He was the Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Business Development Center (RBDC), an entrepreneurship and business incubation facility. He also served in various leadership capacities in some of Africa’s leading Financial Institutions such as KCB Bank Rwanda Ltd where he was the Regional Business Manager and Head of Retail and SME Banking. He holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Iyacu is a Certified Expert in Microfinance, SME Financing and Inclusive Insurance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and a Certified Expert in Digital Money from the Digital Frontiers Institute. He has also completed the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Course on Rethinking Financial Inclusion. Part of the Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Network in Sub Saharan Africa, Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) has since 2010 worked to promote a diverse and inclusive financial sector that supports increased resilience and sustainable livelihoods for all and contributes to Rwanda’s economic transformation. This is done through supporting the financial sector to innovate and facilitate access to financial services of low-income people (mainly women and youth) and MSMEs in Rwanda. Moreover, AFR supports the Government of Rwanda’s development objectives by aligning its interventions to the national policy frameworks including the National Strategy for Transformation 2017-2024 which prioritises economic and social transformation to improve quality of life for many Rwandans. This is hinged on the understanding that financial services can bring positive change to the economy and improve the livelihoods of the low-income people in many and varied ways. In April 2021, AFR will begin the third phase of its programming which will focus on deepening financial inclusion and resilience of unserved and underserved groups such as women, young girls and boys, people with disabilities, smallholder farmers and refugees. The strategy will also support businesses to access finance for their growth and meaningful jobs creation. AFR will continue to play its catalytic role to influence the financial sector to innovate and adopt technology to accelerate financial inclusion, economic growth and the cashless agenda. AFR will also continue to play a significant role as a knowledge broker for the financial sector while at the same time developing the capacity of market actors to take this on in the future.
