Through an in-country stakeholder dialogue process and evidence-based diagnostic analysis, Making Access Possible (MAP) aligns a broad range of stakeholders from within government, the private sector and the donor/funding community to create a set of practical actions aimed at extending financial inclusion tailored to that country. At its core, the MAP programme seeks to facilitate the development and implementation of a comprehensive national financial inclusion roadmap and to align stakeholders and resources around agreed priorities.

The evidence provides a clear overview of that country’s state of financial inclusion, including market realities, high-level policy objectives, and regulatory conditions. But these findings do not tell the entire story. The numbers explain how and why consumers are using products. But they do not explain why financial services providers are not offering products better suited to their clients via a business model that makes sense for both themselves and the consumers. The findings do not tell governments how to harness the research to implement their national ambitions. For this to happen, an entirely different set of skills and a different operational model is required. An evolution of the operating model for the global hub has been to ensure proof of concept of the roadmap implementation for those countries that saw implementation as important.

Many countries in the MAP programme are moving from its research and diagnostic phase into developing an implementation strategy and action plan from the roadmap. Under the MAP programme, there are currently nine African countries (primarily in SADC) in different stages of implementation and in SE Asia there are four countries.

To capitalize on the global nature of the programme and enable cross-country sharing between the various countries, MAP partners, UNCDF and FinMark Trust are holding a learning and sharing session with country coordinators and the government counterparts at the respective MAP counterpart Ministries.

The workshop will enable stakeholders supporting the implementation of the MAP programme to meet and share their programmes and insights, develop new insights using updated and consolidated data and implementation experiences, exchange ideas and enhance knowledge and sharing of information, thus also creating a common community of practice among those implementing financial inclusion for their own national objectives as well as those supporting the implementation.

The MAP Global Insights series Volume 2 looks at the thinking, strategies and processes that have enabled national delivery in financial inclusion, and attempts to codify the operational approach taken in the 18 ‘MAP countries’, including the 9 where the programme is working with governments to implement the national roadmap on financial inclusion. This would be an ideal opportunity to discuss their progress and challenges as well as highlight UNCDF’s work in financial inclusion at country level.

The MAP workshop seeks to engage collectively to embrace strengthening financial inclusion with the following objectives:

• Share highlights in the achievements of the MAP programme across SADC, West Africa and ASEAN.
• Develop a broader understanding of appropriate indicators and M&E targets, including operationalising the data agenda for financial inclusion’s contribution to Government.
• Share best practices of formulating policy interventions identified from the MAP programme in select regions and countries.
• How to better facilitate productive institutional arrangements, donor buy-in, and structured private sector engagement on a continuous basis using the MAP platform.