On 17^th March 2010, the Kenya School of Monetary Studies (KSMS) with support from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) East Africa Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE) held a forum to discuss innovative ways to increase funds flow to the agriculture sector.

Under the theme “Growing Agriculture through Finance”, the high-level forum brought together leaders from government, academia, commercial banks, farmers, the private sector and donor community to learn about the country’s potential, the risk and returns available for the key players investing in agriculture. Main objectives of forum includes; exploring ways of reversing declining lending trends to the agricultural sector and to develop appropriate capacity building programs to provide linkages to agriculture and finance.

Arising from deliberations of the forum participants, and the emerging need for capacity building in this area, the Kenya School of Monetary Studies developed a Regional Certificate course in Agricultural Finance, called Certificate in Agricultural Finance (CAF).

The Certificate in Agricultural Finance is a practice oriented program intended to equip participants with knowledge, skills and attitudes required to improve on agricultural lending in Kenya and the Eastern African Region.  Unlike other certificates courses, this course integrates theoretical aspects with practice through internship programs and project write-up on real life experience in an agricultural lending environment. Participants are drawn from diverse stakeholder bodies such as, commercial banks, microfinance institutions, Savings and Credit Organisations, as well as Institutions that deal with agricultural finance e.g. Agricultural Finance Corporation, Ministry of Trade, Agriculture and Livestock.

CAF OBJECTIVES

Apply the principles of financial analysis to Agri-lending;
1. Demonstrate an understanding of value chains in agriculture: their commercial development and implications to lending;
2. Apply the concept of risk management in agricultural financing/lending;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of return and repayment Analysis for Agri-Finance;
4. Using standard appraisal techniques in the context of agricultural lending;
5. Demonstrate an understanding of credit analysis & instruments for Agri-Finance;
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the Agri-small business environment and its implications to microfinance;
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the legal issues in Agricultural Finance; and
8. Appreciate new developments in Agricultural lending products.

Quick Links:

The following link contains the course Application Form for the CAF programme. 

The following link contains the Scholarship Nomination Form for the CAF programme. 

The following link contains the CAF course Prospectus. 

An advertisement for the current intake of CAF is in this link.