The Growth of ADFP Zambia by Chilekwa Banda

The Association for Digital Finance Practitioners (ADFP) was established in 2018 and was one of the founding member of The Alliance of Digital Finance Associations. The ADFP’s aim is focused on promoting the use of Digital Financial Services across Zambia. Since its inception, there has been an increase in member subscriptions. The Association now consists of 145 members, of which 60 are qualified Certified Digital Finance Practitioners.

The ADFP’s mission to promote the use of digital financial services. We are confident that with the help of our members, strategic partners and the wider community, we will be able to build a strong and vibrant community of digital finance practitioners that will help promote the uptake of digital financial services across the country. We are dedicated to increasing financial inclusion and building a strong industry that will benefit all members.

Our members consist of professionals in the financial services sector who are passionate about sharing knowledge on the use of Digital Financial Services. They hold workshops, conduct field research and offer webinars. We also work closely with other organisations to seek investments that will accelerate SMEs in the country.

The Association’s roadmap involves building strategic partnerships with different sectors such as banking, non-banks, microfinance institutions, insurance, telecommunications, regulators, mining and agriculture. Capacity building initiatives have been established by DFSA to offer training and awareness on Digital Financial Services that cuts across the private and public sectors.

Our strategic goal is to create an institution governed by financially sound principles that will build an entrepreneurial mindset in our members and provide a platform for job creation. We have established a community of support for our members to grow both professionally and individually, by connecting them to opportunities that bring about growth and elevation.

We recently partnered with the Fintech Festival Tanzania, which will enable 30 startups to showcase their products and services at the Festival in November. This platform will provide them with investment opportunities, expansion and growth. Additionally, we have collaborated with the Local Voice Literacy Network, a local organisation that focuses on speaking about technology and cybersecurity initiatives for the youth.  We have partnered to bring the inaugural Women and Kids Expo, in line with our mission to promote the use of digital financial services across marginalized societies which will hold this month end of September.

We are confident that with the help of our members, strategic partners and the wider community, we will be able to build a strong and vibrant community of Digital Finance Practitioners that will help promote the uptake of digital financial services across the country. We are dedicated to increasing financial inclusion and building a strong industry that will benefit all members.

Chilekwa Banda

Chairperson of ADFP Zambia

DFI Alumni and Community Member