UIBFS

Certificate in Microfinance

Investment

UGX 900,000

Duration

3 Months, Online

The purpose of this course is to provide the knowledge, skills, attitudes and
values required to function effectively in a Micro-Finance Institution. Qualifying
participants will be competent to handle all aspects of the micro loan process
from dealing with a loan application, through processing the loan disbursement
to handling repayments. This Certificate in Microfinance is an excellent and
comprehensive qualification for microfinance practitioners. It prepares you for
the challenge of s

Microfinance practitioners, such as mid-level managers and field staff of
Microfinance Institutions and other financial institutions engaged with
microfinance

Module One: Microfinance – International Trends and Best Practice

  • Microfinance Clients, who are they, what do they really need, how do they
    manage their finance?
  • Where do Microfinance Institutions come from, what are their
    characteristics?
  • and Cons of different microfinance approaches?
  • What are the trends, and how are Microfinances making use of them?

    Module Two: Products and Services in Financial Inclusion

  • Microcredit, Micro savings, and Microinsurance
  • Mobile Money and Digital Payment Solutions
  • SME Financing and Access to Capital
  • Financial Literacy and Consumer Protection
    Module 3:
  • Loan Monitoring
  • The loan monitoring cycle in microfinance
  • The different lending methodologies
  • The role of a Loan Officer in monitoring
  • Daily/weekly/monthly monitoring schedules
  • Site visits and client interviews
  • Use of checklists and monitoring templates
  • Digital tools and MIS for monitoring
  • Group lending vs individual lending monitoring
  • Reporting tools and formats for field staff and supervisors
  • Portfolio review meetings and dashboard analysis
  • Using loan monitoring data to inform lending decisions
  • Module Four: Delinquency Management and Recovery
  • Strategies for follow-up and loan restructuring
  • Collections and recovery planning
  • Rescheduling vs refinancing: pros and cons
  • Legal and ethical considerations
    Module Four: Micro Savings
  • Definition and importance of micro savings
  • Role of micro savings in financial inclusion
  • Principles of effective micro savings product design
  • Types of micro savings products (voluntary, commitment savings, group
    savings)
  • Innovations: digital wallets, mobile savings, incentives,

Module Five: Ethics in Key Risk Areas

  • Credit risk: fair lending, over-indebtedness, transparency with clients.
  • Operational risk: internal controls, fraud prevention, whistleblowing.
  • Compliance and reputational risk: regulatory ethics and social responsibility.
  • Ethical risk assessment checklists and reporting mechanisms.
  • Group discussion: Handling unethical conduct within a risk unit.
  • Module Six: Sales and Marketing in Microfinance
  • Role of sales and marketing in MFIs
  • Understanding the MFI target market: low-income, unbanked, underbanked
  • Differences between commercial bank marketing and MFI marketing
  • Challenges and opportunities in MFI sales
  • Field-based selling and relationship management
  • Community marketing, referrals, and word-of-mouth
  • Use of digital tools (SMS, WhatsApp, social media)
  • Financial literacy as a marketing tool
  • Branding and positioning in the microfinance sector
  • Module Seven: Financial Performance Management
    Key financial indicators:
  • Portfolio Quality (PAR, write-offs)
  • Profitability (ROA, ROE)
  • Operational Efficiency (cost per borrower, cost to income)
  • Sustainability (OSS, FSS)
  • Benchmarks and trends in microfinance
  • Financial risk and performance dashboards
  • Overview of human resource management (HRM)
  • The role of HR in MFIs: operational vs. strategic functions
  • HR challenges in microfinance
  • HR’s impact on sustainability and service delivery
  • Setting KPIs aligned to microfinance goals
  • Workforce planning for MFIs
  • Recruitment channels suitable for MFIs
  • Understanding staff needs in the microfinance environment
  • Ethical issues in HRM
  • LEARNING OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS
  • At the end of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Explain what kind of products, services and delivery channels will work in real
    life for a microfinance Institution.
  • Understand how to conduct a proper loan analysis.
  • Conduct effective site visit and assess the character of a borrower.
  • Be able to calculate a loan applicant’s cash flow.
  • Understand what poor people expect from savings providers and their
    savings products.
  • Understand what perquisites microfinance providers have to fulfil to take
    savings products.
  • Be able to mitigate or even rule out particular risks.
  • Understand the principles of financial and social performance in microfinance.
  • Analyse key financial and social performance indicators.
  • Understand the ethical foundations of risk governance in microfinance.
  • Recognize ethical dilemmas in risk management and decision-making.
  • Apply ethical principles to governance, compliance, credit, and operational
    risks.
    Module Eight: Social Performance Management (SPM)
  • What is SPM and why it matters
  • Key SPM frameworks (e.g., SPI4, Universal Standards for SPM)
  • Indicators of social performance:
  • Client protection principles
  • Outreach and inclusivity (poverty levels, gender, geography)
  • Impact and client outcomes
    Module Nine: Human Resource Management
  • Overview of human resource management (HRM)
  • The role of HR in MFIs: operational vs. strategic functions
  • HR challenges in microfinance
  • HR’s impact on sustainability and service delivery
  • Setting KPIs aligned to microfinance goals
  • Workforce planning for MFIs
  • Recruitment channels suitable for MFIs
  • Understanding staff need

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Explain what kind of products, services and delivery channels will work in real
    life for a microfinance Institution.
  • Understand how to conduct a proper loan analysis.
  • Conduct effective site visit and assess the character of a borrower.
  • Be able to calculate a loan applicant’s cash flow.
  • Understand what poor people expect from savings providers and their
    savings products.
  • Understand what perquisites microfinance providers have to fulfil to take
    savings products.
  • Be able to mitigate or even rule out particular risks.
  • Understand the principles of financial and social performance in microfinance.
  • Analyse key financial and social performance indicators.
  • Understand the ethical foundations of risk governance in microfinance.
  • Recognize ethical dilemmas in risk management and decision-making.
  • Apply ethical principles to governance, compliance, credit, and operational
    risks.