Institute to train micro finance service providers

MICRO FINANCE: The Institute of Micro Finance and Entrepreneurship Development was inaugurated last year as a nonprofit making organisation, incorporated as a limited liability company under guarantee, with the prime objective of assisting the Government and the NGOs in their micro financing activities by way of training the service providers and their beneficiaries.

The institute has held five two-day seminars on micro finance activities in Colombo, Kurunegala, Kandy, Anuradhapura and Moneragala.

The participants were from the state banks, development banks and specialised banks and cooperative rural banks.

The quality of training and the selection of resource persons, specialists and practitioners were highly rated by the participants.

Requests by Banks to hold these seminars in Centres outside Colombo have prompted the Institute to plan seminars in Anuradhapura, Moneragala Hambantota, Amparai and Vauniya.

The next seminar will be held in Matara on October 14 and 15 2006.

The next stage will be to award qualifications in micro finance after conducting a lecture programme.

They have also focused on training of the poor borrowers on social mobilisation group concepts marketing and accounting.

The founder directors are senior bankers retired and are keen to share their knowledge and experience with the younger generation bankers.

The Chairman, Dr. Anton Fernando, former Chairman Industrial Development Board and a well-known authority on entrepreneurship, P. Lecthumanan, a senior banker and trainer, former Director College of Banking and Finance of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka, S.B. Balalle, former Senior Executive Director, National Savings Bank, Daya Muthukumarana, Former C.E.O. and Managing Director, P.A.B.C.D. Attanayake, former Deputy General Manager, Bank of Ceylon, the others are Sam Rahubadda, former Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Planning and Implementation, and Mangalika de Silva, Bank Executive. The Secretary of the Institute Indumathi Mahendaran, Attorney-at-Law.

The Institute is located in 23, Kaduwela Road, Battaramulla.