On Thursday, March 24, NCBA CLUSA’s Co-op Practice Area presented a panel discussion on how rural youth can leverage finance to unlock economic opportunities and achieve success.
Financial exclusion is one of the biggest barriers facing youth today, limiting their economic opportunities and ability to achieve success. In fact, nearly half of the world’s youth ages 15-24 remain unbanked. Youth not only confront challenges accessing capital from financial institutions; they also face barriers to the financial information and services they need to start or invest in a business, training or other asset-building activities.
The COVID-19 pandemic only heightened these realities by impacting jobs, disrupting education and increasing financial stress. Still, innovations are underway to unlock finance for youth. These ideas range from digital financial services to youth-focused financial products and other solutions to help youth transition from informal finance to formal financial products that better meet their needs.
Did you miss the webinar? Watch the recording!
MEET THE PANELÂ
Carla Decker
Chief Operating Officer
IDB Global Federal Credit Union
Chair
NCBA CLUSA Board of Directors
Jonathan Lopez
Financial Advisor
Rabobank Foundation, Peru
Etyang Naphtal
Technical Lead
USAID Kenya Empowered Youth
Former Chief of Party
Mastercard Foundation Youth Empowerment through AgricultureÂ
Maria Eugenia PĂ©rez Zea
Executive Director
Colombian Association of Cooperatives (ASCOOP)