“The Business Case for Housing Microfinance in Africa” webinar

Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter is delighted to invite you to a webinar on “The Business Case for Housing Microfinance in Africa” on Thursday, April 5, 2018 from 4-5:30 p.m. East Africa Time.

About the project

Habitat’s Terwilliger Center, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has been implementing a capacity building project over the past five years known as “Building Assets, Unlocking Access,” or BAUA. The project includes working with six leading financial institutions in Kenya and Uganda to develop housing microfinance products and non-financial support services for people living on less than US$5 per day.

The business case for housing microfinance

The success of a housing microfinance product relies on the creation of a clear business case that justifies developing and growing a distinct housing microfinance product, rather than simply allowing existing loan products to be used for home improvement purposes. A compelling business case will answer, at least, the following questions:

1. What demand-side factors create a compelling case for offering a housing microfinance product?
2. What is the nature and extent of the market demand and what is a viable value proposition that the financial service provider can provide in response to this demand?
3. What is the financial service provider’s competitive advantage in offering this housing microfinance product?
4. What differentiating features make it a strategic product within the institution and the broader housing finance market?

To address these key questions, a business case takes into account market and contextual conditions, institutional realities and financial goals. It is also important to clearly identify which Bottom of the Pyramid, or BOP, market segments will be served with the housing microfinance product. Using an adapted framework from the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor, Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center commissioned a study to examine the business case for housing microfinance of two partner financial institutions participating in the BAUA project: Kenya Women Microfinance Bank, or KWFT, and Centenary Bank in Uganda.  

The webinar session will serve to launch the publication “Building the Business Case for Housing Microfinance” (in Sub-Saharan Africa) and will include a review of the findings of the two institutions. The session will also feature several overarching observations, insights and trade-offs to be considered by financial service providers and investors as they contemplate venturing into housing microfinance.

Our panel of speakers

• Christy Stickney, author of the publication and national director of Habitat for Humanity Nepal
• Sandra Prieto, editor of the publication and global director of Operations and Financial Inclusion at the Terwilliger Center

Together, they will address the following questions:

• What are the findings from the business case for housing microfinance at both financial institutions?
• What are the commonalities and differences between the findings of the two financial institutions?
• What are some of the overarching observations, suggested insights and trade-offs that must be considered by both financial service providers and investors as they contemplate venturing into housing microfinance?

The webinar will run for 90 minutes and be moderated by Ruth Odera, regional manager of Financial Inclusion and Capital Markets for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the Terwilliger Center.

For any questions, please email: [email protected].
 
We look forward to your participation!