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Indiana University Bloomington Campus

Publication Date

Fall 2011

Program Name

Uganda: Microfinance and Entrepreneurship

Abstract

This report summarizes a six week internship undertaken by the researcher with FINCA Uganda Limited, an affiliate of FINCA International (Foundation for International Community Assistance). The broad objective of this internship was to assess FINCA Uganda’s operations from a financial standpoint and engineer methods to sustainably reduce operating costs. FINCA was chosen because they are a prominent MDI (Microfinance Deposit-Taking Institution) in Uganda and expressed interest in the proposed project.

Working from the broad internship objective, the Chief Executive Officer of FINCA Uganda and Africa Regional Finance Manager of FINCA International helped refine specific projects to assess performance and improve operational efficiency. Due to the focus of the internship, the researcher worked closely with the Operations and Finance departments of FINCA. Additionally, the Africa Regional Finance Manager of FINCA International and individuals from the Ben Kiwanuka branch of FINCA Uganda were very helpful in providing information and insight to help with projects. Microsoft Excel was used to analyze data collected and help reach meaningful conclusions.

The projects were structured chronologically to first measure performance, and then proceed to devise ways to improve it. Therefore, the first two projects undertaken were the benchmarking studies comparing all branches of FINCA Uganda, and then comparing all worldwide affiliates of FINCA International. After seeing the results from the benchmarking study for FINCA Uganda, projects were undertaken to improve loan processing speed and decrease transportation costs for loan officers. The results from these projects and subsequent recommendations stand to greatly benefit FINCA Uganda.

Disciplines

Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Finance and Financial Management | International Business

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