Microfinance: Building Supportive Legal and Regulatory Frameworks  for
Inclusive Financial Sectors in the East Africa Region
(TW-372E)

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania 17 - 28 November, 2008
IDLO announces an upcoming course on the Legal and Regulatory frameworks
that impact the provision of microfinance and other financial services
to the poor in South and East African states.

This seminar is the eleventh in a series of 12 global seminars designed
to emphasize the importance of domestic legislation, as well as the role
of the local lawyer to the microfinance industry's continued,
sustainable growth.  The lawyer is also an important advocate for the
poor consumer, whose rights as a borrower have not always been respected
by the same microfinancial institutions that serve them.

The seminar will analyze an array of subjects related to microfinance
such as a comparison of the existing microfinance legislation and
regulatory approaches in the South and East African regions.
Participants will be expected to present on their own nation's
microfinance history and law/policy environment, so that we can compare
and contrast.

We will look at the commercialization of the industry and the impact on
the poor borrower, discussing consumer protection issues as well as new
methods or innovations in technology to better serve the client.  We
will also discuss transformations and IPO's as well as other sources of
capital for microfinance entity growth.

We will also analyze the various business entities which can legally
provide financial services to the poor, comparing their efficacy, as
well as the types of financial products and services that they provide.
Land access and contract farming issues will be discussed in the context
of financial services to the poor in the rural and agricultural sectors.

Because each of our microfinance courses is held in a different region
of the world, we try to tailor the subject matter to the participating
states and professionals in the industry.  Your input is also important
to us.  If you have direct experience with a legal or regulatory hurdle
affecting a microfinance entity, we would appreciate having this
information from you - armed with this specific industry information, we
are able to better address your concerns and challenges.

The training will be very interactive, thus participants should come
prepared to present and analyze their own national commercial
legislation, and its impact on the practice of microfinance.
Participant selection is based on educational background, experience in
the microfinance sector and participant's willingness to be involved in
the sector in the long term, collaborating on other, future IDLO
microfinance related activities in his/her country of origin.

Target audience:

This course is intended to target legal professionals with some
experience in the financial services to the poor sector.  Also welcome
are law and policy makers working for finance ministries, women's
ministries, rural development ministries and central bankers and
microfinance regulators and monetary policy makers.  Accountants and
economists working in the sector are also welcome to apply.

The training will be held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from 17 to 28
November, and tuition and lodging costs will be covered for all accepted
participants.  Lodging will be in a hotel in double occupancy rooms,
with two participants to a room (shared facilities). Participants are
responsible for their own travel costs to and within Dar Es Salaam.

In order to apply, participants are requested to submit  1)  a short
statement of interest, including a description on how the topics of the
course relate to their jobs  2)  a curriculum vitae  and 3) an abstract
related to a proposed publication to be completed by the participant
post course.*

For any questions, please contact Jami Hubbard (Project Manager,
Microfinance Programme) at IDLO at jhubbard@idlo.int. Applications
should be submitted to microfinance@idlo.int and jhubbard@idlo.int.

Application deadline is October 1st.

We look forward to seeing you in Dar Es Salaam.

Kind regards from IDLO!

International Development Law Organization (IDLO)
Viale Vaticano, 106
00165 Rome, Italy
Tel. + 39 06 4040 3200
Fax. +39 06 4040 3232
www.idlo.int/microfinance

 * Participants selected for the programme are required to write a 10-15
page paper for publication on a topic of his/her choice related to
microfinance; topics related to the participants' specific employment
area are best as they do not require much additional work.  An abstract
of 4-5 paragraphs outlining the subject matter of the proposed
publication must be received with potential participants' course
application.  Completed draft publications must then be submitted within
15 days of course completion.  Edited publications will be published on
IDLO's Microfinance Project website at www.idlo.int/microfinance with
credit given to the authors.   These publications allow us to
disseminate information from each course group globally, and hopefully
provide our course alumni with a platform in the industry, and some
marketing for their professional services.