South Sudan: Micro-finance Diaries with Yengi Lokule of Rural Finance Initiative (RUFI)

South Sudan: Micro-finance Diaries with Yengi Lokule of Rural Finance Initiative (RUFI)

Author: African Tech Roundup January 9, 2020 Duration: 50:14
African Tech Roundup and SPARK (https://spark.ngo) have partnered to produce a seven-part podcast miniseries interrogating the progress being made in advancing entrepreneurship and job creation in some of the world’s most fragile regions. The series uncovers pragmatic first-hand insights about the challenges of deploying market-relevant approaches to entrepreneurship, economic policy design and implementation, education interventions and the provision of business support. The first episode of the series features a relaxed diary session with Yengi Lokule, Co-founder and CEO of Rural Finance Initiative (RUFI), a South Sudanese microfinance and cross-border remittance firm which serves South Sudanese refugees in Uganda as well as rural and peri-urban residents in his fragile home country. Yengi holds degrees in Agriculture and Development Studies specializing in Micro-finance and has over 20 years’ of professional experience gained in post-conflict environments. This thoughtful conversation casually addresses some of the oversimplifications related to promoting financial inclusion in post-conflict environments while offering useful insight into displaced people are defiantly building futures for themselves and others in South Sudan and neighbouring Uganda. Editorial Disclaimer: This podcast was taped at the fringes of SPARK’s 7th annual IGNITE Conference in Amsterdam (https://spark.ngo/ignite-conference-2019) and is an independent African Tech Roundup production. The opinions expressed by the host, Andile Masuku, and his guest, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the presenting sponsor, SPARK. Image credit: SPARK

For nearly a decade, the African Tech Roundup Podcast has served as a vital listening post for anyone serious about understanding the continent's digital transformation. Hosted by co-founders Andile Masuku and Musa Kalenga, this long-running series moves beyond surface-level headlines to foster genuine, substantive dialogue. Each episode convenes a dynamic mix of startup founders, venture capitalists, policymakers, and established tech leaders, creating a unique space where strategy, critique, and opportunity intersect. The conversations you'll hear are unfiltered and forward-looking, grounded in local realities while maintaining a necessary global outlook. Tuning into this podcast means gaining access to the nuanced discussions that shape Africa's technology, business, and entrepreneurship landscapes from the ground up. It’s less about hype and more about the hard questions, the lessons from both failures and successes, and the collaborative thinking required to build sustainably. If your work or curiosity is connected to Africa's economic future, African Tech Roundup provides the context and clarity often missing from mainstream coverage, making it an indispensable resource for informed perspective and actionable insight.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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