Setting aside 40 hours over two weeks to complete a programme on Migrant Remittances and Financial Services (MRF) organized by the United Nations Capital Development Fund, Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education (HKSEE) and Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD), is a major decision for senior policymakers, private-sector executives, and multilateral partners. Is it worth the effort? It most certainly is.

John F. Kennedy once said that “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

In today’s world, leaders need to be lifelong learners. The objective of the MRF programme was to build the capacity of the participants to imagine, design, deliver and regulate remittances and remittance-linked services that work for women and men on the move. The programme was designed not only to build technical capacity but also to equip participants with the skills to champion and drive a change agenda within their respective organizations.

The sixty-seven participants were drawn from twenty-four countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Most participants hailed from the private sector (typically at the C-suite or Director level) or the public sector (ranging from division heads to mid-career staff at Central Banks), while the remaining 15% were representatives of multilateral organizations and foundations. About 60% of participants were men and 40% were women. This regional, organizational, and gender diversity created an ideal environment for experiential learning.

The MRF programme was designed to immerse participants in a transformational learning experience through a combination of live lectures and group work. Faculty lectures and case studies covered various topics related to migrants, remittances, and financial services, such as Migrants and Financial Inclusion, Migrants and the Informal Economy, Fintech and Financial Inclusion, and Data and Evidence for Smart Policy. Case studies helped highlight multifaceted issues affecting migration and remittances and yielded insights that could be applied to develop risk-based policies and migrant-centric, gender-inclusive financial products. Participants discussed the case studies in small groups prior to the live lectures to deepen their understanding of the case materials and maximize the value of the plenary discussion.

Group work centered around Smart Policy Design and Implementation” (SPDI) framework created by Harvard Kennedy School. SPDI is a tool that can be used by policymakers, remittance service providers, and other stakeholders to diagnose the root causes of an identified problem and then design, implement, and evaluate solutions to address one or more of these root causes. Participants were divided into small groups based upon common interest and received a policy or product design challenge to address. Each group then worked to apply the SPDI framework to their assigned challenge with the support of a Teaching Fellow.

I was assigned to a group that focused on improving the flow of remittances through formal channels in Rwanda. We were asked to identify different challenges and develop a problem statement. Our problem statement noted that the cost of sending low-value remittances to Rwanda using formal channels was very high (9.8% vs. 3% Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target). Using SPDI, we identified different root causes of this problem and recommended different solutions to address these root causes. Going through this process required a mindset shift from quickly proposing solutions to digging deeper and identifying the most important root causes of the problem.

Gender integration was an important component of the training. All modules, case studies, and group work were designed with a gender lens aimed at elucidating how gender affects migration and financial inclusion. In addition, SPDI group work explicitly required gender analysis to consider how men and women might i) experience the problem (and its root causes); and ii) be impacted by proposed solutions differently. The questions on the slide below helped ensure that a gender lens was applied throughout as we were working on the solutions to the identified root causes.

Key takeaways from the programme

My key takeaways from this programme were as follows:

1. Policy is a process and not a product: Therefore, addressing policy challenges requires embedded and self-correcting processes that produce and integrate evidence as part of the policy implementation process. Committing to an iterative process that incorporates research and evaluation can help to ensure that policymakers are using their limited resources effectively.
2. Data is a critical component for the development of smart policies and products: There are no one-size-fits-all solutions, and data helps inform efforts to design and tailor policies and programmes for different groups. Therefore, policymakers and practitioners need to understand the techniques used to generate and analyze data.
3. Gender mainstreaming is a continuous process that requires constant reflection along different stages of solution design: Some of the key guiding questions to consider include: (i) Are there any gender barriers that exist, and how do they affect men and women differently? (ii) Will women be able to use or benefit from the solution the same way as men? (iii) Are there gender norms, roles, or relations that affect women’s or men’s ability to benefit from the proposed solution?

The MRF programme was an intensive, enriching, and challenging learning experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to interact with international peers and share learning in such a stimulating and collaborative environment.