The Agenda will be available once confirmed. Please visit again to view updated content.

Day One Programme 16 May 2012

8:00 - KEY-NOTE PRESENTATIONS

Agenda: This session will unlock development funds available for Rural Development and how rural communities may access the funds. 


Focus Areas:
 

  • Rural Finance Outlook in South Africa, Africa and Globally;
  • Building sustainable rural finance institutions with outreach to the rural poor;
  • Understanding demand for rural financial products and services;
  • Expanding outreach of financial products and services in rural areas;
  • Improvements in operational management of rural financial institutions;
  • Rural Enterprise Development and Microfinance;
  • Financing emerging farmers and facilitating a farmer business advisor program;
  • Building a diversified rural financial infrastructure;
  • Risk management models for rural funding institutions;
  • Microcredit and financial inclusion; 

 

13:40 - Rural Priorities Assessment Panel Session 1

Agenda: The session is for funding organisations to unveil current funds for projects and those next on their agenda and how rural practitioners can access these funds for rural communities. We need to consider other financial products and services beyond credit to better cater for rural demand.  

  • Complexities in finding relevant rural economic development funding opportunities;
  • Who is funding (donors/agencies/government/private sector)
  • What is being funded (specific projects, programmes and their specific sectors e.g. Health, Education, entrepreneurship etc)
  • How to access the funds (criteria for funding and the role of micro credit and corporate social investment funds)
  • Who is being funded (NGOs, CBOs, NPOs, Individuals, Cooperatives, Agencies, and Communities)
  • Microcredit and corporate social investment funds;

15:00 - Tea Break

15:20 - Rural Priorities Assessment Panel Session 2

Agenda: Community participation, their needs and aspirations. 

  • Global outlook of rural communities’ trends and developments
  • Current challenges and problems faced by rural communities
  • Integrating community driven funding and donor driven expectations 
  • Fostering stakeholder participation including the poor in the development of rural economies

A networking and interactive panel session

 

16:30 - End of Day One: Closing remarks from the Conference Chairperson

Day Two Programme 17 May 2012

8:00 - Keynote Presentations

This session will enlighten development partners regarding viable economic sectors in rural communities that can be used as tools to champion rural development. Rural communities are regarded as people without assets yet in reality they have assets which can be harnessed to build sustainable rural livelihoods. 

Topics:

  • Rural Economic Outlook in Africa;
  • The role of Agriculture ( Input and Output and productivity) in rural economic development;
  • Prioritizing health issues (sanitation, water, HIV/Aids, food and environment etc) as a basis for promoting viable rural communities;
  • Rural Industries and value added supply chain;
  • Natural resources management;
  • Rural population and land use,
  • Rural Infrastructure Investment (roads, hospitals, schools, transport, water, law enforcement, banks and other financial institutions) as a way of expanding opportunities and capabilities for the Rural Communities;
  • Social development (Education, Empowerment, Employment and rural entrepreneurship);

13:45 - Rural Priorities Assessment Panel Session 3: Government Commitment as the coordinator, facilitator, champion and watchdog

Agenda: Government programmes and policies: Their viability, practicality, feasibility and accountability to stakeholders: The role of the public sector in developing and facilitating demand for financial services in rural areas should be considered. This requires interdisciplinary coordination towards a clear goal.
 

  • Are rural development policies feasible and practical?
  • How can rural development policies and programmes be diversified and improved to enable quicker implementation in different communities with different backgrounds?
  • How to ensure good management of rural development programmes and promote transparency and accountability?
  • Trade and Investment: Remaining challenges and the unfinished policy agenda;
  • The role of funds as the driving force to transform policies into practice;
  • Enabling environment and policies for rural financial markets;

15:00 - Tea Break

15:20 - Rural Priorities Panel Session 4: Rural development: Issues and concerns

Agenda: This session will focus on funding of rural infrastructure and services in search of inclusive and sustainable rural socio-economic growth.

Facilities and Services

  • Health , Water, Transport, Education, Tourism, ICT, Roads, Energy;
  • Why not have solar powered community libraries in remote rural areas?
  • Rural Water Infrastructure Partnerships;
  • Setting up pilot clinics infrastructure for improved health systems to challenge major pandemics (HIV/Aids, Cancer, TB etc);
  • Developing skills and empowering people;
  • Rural Industries;
  • Capacity development;
  • Monitoring and evaluation as a way of promoting lasting social partnerships, accountability, transparent and  responsive management principles;

A networking and interactive panel session

16:00 - Closing remarks from the Conference Chairperson