A conversation with FinEquity Africa member and independent consultant on rural finance, Getaneh Gobezie

Getaneh Gobezie, an independent consultant and FinEquity Africa member, sat down with us to share his motivation to work on inclusive financing in rural areas and lessons learned from working on inclusive financing in Ethiopia, Uganda, Liberia, and Rwanda.

FinEquity Africa: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? A fun fact? Something that might surprise people? Any superpowers you might have?

Getaneh: I am an expert in rural financing with more than 30 years of experience in this field. I have worked with rural communities in Africa, including in Uganda, Liberia, and Rwanda. My interest in rural financing began in my home country of Ethiopia where I worked for the Ministry of Planning on financial inclusion. As a man from a region with diverse gender norms, it was bold to come out in public and support the opposite gender, especially on matters to do with empowering women economically. I remember working with some communities in Ethiopia on women’s economic empowerment projects and I was reminded on several occasions that I was embarrassing the heads of the household – in this case, the husbands. They believed that when you empower a woman, you diminish a man’s abilities. But I was resilient to all the resistance I came across and I have no regrets today.

FinEquity Africa: What drew you to women financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment? What has kept you going?

Getaneh: I grew up in a rural setting and I remember the struggles that my mother and other rural women would face in order to provide for their families. The gender norms posed huge obstacles for women. Women were not allowed to make any financial decisions and, therefore, they could not provide what they desired for their children. What keeps me going every day in the space of rural finance is the desire to change the lives of rural people, which starts from changing the lives of women.

FinEquity Africa: How did you end up becoming a consultant in inclusive rural finance?

Getaneh: I intentionally did my Master’s degree with a focus on rural poverty, but I did not know that I would end up advocating for inclusive rural finance. The opportunity I had in the early years of my career to work as a planning and research expert in the Amhara region in Ethiopia (one of the less developed regions in the country), gave me a chance to really understand the sector of rural financing and how rural people manage their lives, including the gender relations within and outside of households. While gender and financial inclusion issues are similar in different regions in Africa, gender dynamics differ from one region to another and this should be considered in every project intervention. The challenges in this sector are diverse and every day offers a new set of obstacles. It keeps me alert and I get to learn more with each passing day. This is what has kept me in the sector.

While gender and financial inclusion issues are similar in different regions in Africa, gender dynamics differ from one region to another and this should be considered in every project intervention.

FinEquity Africa: Any current projects you’re working on that you’re finding particularly exciting/engaging?

Getaneh: There are a few engagements I’m excited about at the moment. My recently completed assignments were private consultancies for different organizations including Plan International and the Catholic Relief Service where I supported financial inclusion in rural development projects. Some of the most exciting findings in my career have included:

1. Integrated services are impactful to smallholder farmers. I supported a project called Strengthening African Rural Smallholders (STARS), which was implemented in Ethiopia. The project was aimed at promoting public-private partnership with the objective of delivering integrated services at the household level. The project was an eye-opener to the stakeholders involved on how impactful integrated services are for smallholder farmers. It was also identified that there is a huge gap for financial institutions to provide integrated services.

2. Sustainable financial institutions are very important in supporting rural financing. Microfinance institutions are the main financial service providers to rural populations, and to women specifically. However, these institutions face liquidity challenges over time. I supported a market research assessment on why microfinance institutions face liquidity challenge in Ethiopia. It was found that many institutions no not have mechanisms to encourage savings in rural areas.

3. Rural poverty is not only about a lack of income. Rural poverty has a lot of dimensions, and rural finance is an entry intervention. BRAC’s graduation model is one of the models that has been adopted in many countries to alleviate poverty and has shown positive impact.

Rural poverty has a lot of dimensions, and rural finance is an entry intervention.

 

FinEquity Africa: What are some of your top priorities in 2023? What can our members connect with you about/what can they ask you about?

Getaneh: One of my focus areas is to strengthen the capacity of financial institutions to provide inclusive and women-focused products to rural populations. I have projects coming my way and I am glad to give my support in the area of rural finance.

am a private consultant and I am open to collaboration on new projects, especially in rural finance. I am also open to participation in discussions around rural finance with FinEquity Africa’s members.

FinEquity Africa: What role does FinEquity play in your work? Where do you see value in this community? How has being a member shaped your work? 

Getaneh: FinEquity provides rich discussions, webinars, and articles and this really supports members like me to deliver our work effectively in the spaces in which we work. I am really grateful to have a regional branch of FinEquity in Africa that provides a platform for Africa-specific financial inclusion issues that can be articulated in greater depth.

FinEquity Africa: What are some of your expectations for FinEquity Africa as a member?

Getaneh: The largest population in Africa lives in rural areas. Our focus for inclusivity in financial inclusion should promote rural finance to reach the most vulnerable groups, which include women. I encourage FinEquity Africa to engage diverse stakeholders in order to reach out to every sector for more impactful women’s financial inclusion in Africa.

This interview is originally produced by FinDevGateway.org