AMI Africa Faculty

David Cracknell - AMI Africa 2009 Technical Director
David Cracknell is the Programme Director for Africa and has extensive experience of helping MFIs and commercial banks in Eastern and Southern Africa to move onto a market-led approach to microfinance. He has played a key role in the development of MicroSave's training toolkits and authored many papers on topics including e-banking, delivering savings services, costing and pricing etc.

David has with nearly two decades experience in microfinance, after a career in accountancy. He has experience in design, monitoring, and evaluation of microfinance programmes, including networks and capacity building initiatives. He has particular interest in client focused product development and the institutional changes necessary to achieve this as well as e-banking. David formerly worked in Bangladesh managing DFID's Enterprise Development Programme, which comprised microfinance (focused on some of the leading MFIS in Bangladesh) and business development services (including an export marketing project, sub-sector based approaches within BRAC, and business and vocational training programme). David started his post-accountancy career in Sri Lanka employed by a large microfinance Institution.

Bernard Otabil – AMI Africa 2009 Course Director
Bernard Otabil is the Course Director and a consultant with Blackwealth Consulting. He has extensive knowledge in microfinance, especially in risk management, compliance and regulation. Bernard has worked as a consultant to several microfinance institutions across Africa, and has served as a trainer on several microfinance courses globally. He has authored and edited several technical papers and articles on microfinance. He is a regular commentator on microfinance issues and currently edits Graphic Business, the leading business and finance publication in Ghana.

Bernard is a qualified accountant (ACCA) and holds an MBA in finance from the University of Hull, (UK). He is also a graduate of the University of Ghana Business School, with a BSc in Accounting. Bernard is also a member of the Securities and Investment Institute, UK.

He started his career in investment banking in UK, working for some of the high profile investment banks, including CIBC World Markets and HSBC before making the switch to microfinance. He is a director of Infobank Investment and Research Limited, (UK) and a Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO).

Henry Sempangi
Henry Sempangi is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants in UK (FCCA) and he also holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Accounting and currently manages MicroSave’s Uganda Office. Henry has extensive experience in microfinance development – both on the demand- and supply-side - throughout the East/South African region.

Henry has undertaken a number of short-term evaluation assignments in East and Southern Africa as well as Bangladesh and has provided valuable technical input especially on the programme design, costing, staff incentives and other finance related issues. He has extensive experience in market research, strategic marketing, process mapping and the evaluation of NGO microfinance programmes, training and institutional assessment.

He combines strong interpersonal and technical skills and has excelled as a trainer and mentor. He also has a wealth of experience in finance systems development and implementation for NGOs having worked as an accountant and auditor for an international NGO in Uganda for a period of four years.

Peter Mukwana
Peter Mukwana has over a decade of experience in microfinance. Peter has extensive experience in training and conducting “Market Research for MicroFinance” and related strategic marketing work in East Africa and elsewhere. This has providedhim valuable opportunities to evaluate the institutional and client level of microfinance programmes in the region.

He initially worked with World Vision International -Uganda, first as a Credit Officer and later as Credit Coordinator. As a Lead Trainer with ACDI/VOCA he was involved in curriculum development and training in Microfinance Best Practices and Loan Tracking with the Cotton Sub-sector Development Program under Bank of Uganda and Farming as a Business for smallholder farmers in Uganda and Malawi

Trevor Mugwang’a
Trevor Mugwang’a focuses primarily on the supply side activities, providing advice and assistance on risk management, credit systems, costing and pricing of financial services as well as planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating product pilot tests and rollouts. He also carries out analysis and review activities with respect to financial management and planning, marketing as well as policies and procedures.

Trevor holds a Bachelors degree in Commerce and Masters degree in Finance and Accountancy. Prior to joining MicroSave, in August 2003,Trevor initially worked for two years in Kenya as financial analyst and credit officer for a microfinance institution and four years as head of finance at a commercial bank, gaining a broad range of experience in financial strategy, planning, management and internal control.

Corrinne Wairimu Ngurukie
Since joining MicroSave, Corrinne Ngurukie has focused on providing training and technical assistance in Market Research, Strategic and Product Marketing, Process Mapping, Corporate Branding, Customer Service and designing Staff Incentive Schemes. She has worked on these issues with a wide range of institutions – from banks to NGO-MFIs – in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Malawi.

Corrinne holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications and is currently preparing her dissertation for an MBA degree with a bias in Strategic Management.Prior to joining MicroSave Corrinne worked for nine years with two Kenyan commercial banks in customer service, marketing and finance and administration.

Angela M. Wambugu
Angela Wambugu is certified in MicroSave’s Process Mapping, Strategic Marketing, Corporate Branding, Customer Service Strategy and Market Research Toolkits. She has undertaken training and technical assistance in market research, strategic marketing, institutional process reviews and risk analysis, developing customer service strategies, corporate branding and marketing plans with various financial institutions in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

Prior to joining MicroSave Angela worked with two commercial banks in Kenya and with J. M. Mantle & Co. Limited, a consulting firm engaged in business advisory and specialist microfinance consulting and training services. Angela holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and is currently preparing her dissertation for an MBA degree with a bias in Strategic Management.

Sachin
Sachin Kumar has over six years of experience in microfinance. He completed his Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management at the Indian Institute of Forest Management in Bhopal with specialisation in microfinance. His experience in microfinance has covered the delivery of financial services, directly and through a variety of channels like SHGs, ROSCAs, NGO-MFIs, and in developing internal systems of management and control for MFIs. Before joining MicroSave he had been working very extensively with BASIX in field operations and institutional development. He also worked with United Nations-India in the field of knowledge management for the microfinance sector at the Solution Exchange programme.

Sachin helped develop MicroSave’s Rapid Institutional Assessment tool, which is now used across the globe to conduct initial evaluation of the potential of MFIs and their needs for training/technical assistance.

Since joining MicroSave, Sachin has worked extensively on internal audit and controls, process mapping, and operations improvement. Recently he has played a key role in the development of the training capacity of the organisation.

His areas of interest include strategic business planning, market research, and product development for the low income market.