Congolese German Centre for Microfinance (CCAM)

Content and Goals

Microfinance plays a decisive role in the economic development of sub-Saharan Africa and in its battle against poverty and deprivation. However, African banks and ministries of finance often suffer from a lack of qualified experts. The Centre for Microfinance aims to bridge this gap and offers a needs-orientated program for future microfinance specialists. The work focuses primarily on establishing a new practice-oriented Master’s program. The strong inclusion of experts from the finance sector gives the program its outstanding added value. Besides expanding the course content and structure as such, the objectives include the further internationalization of the Université Protestante au Congo as a key pillar in this collaboration. The program also focuses on enhancing and intensifying the research activities at the established Chair of Microfinance. These include:

• Continuous training and teaching of research staff
• Consolidation of research capacities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Creation of a research network in the field of Microfinance

Programmes and How to Apply

The CCAM programme consists of a two-year course (first and second degrees). This programme has been designed in conformance with the demands of the Ministry of Secondary and University Education of the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically the official programme of management courses (Business Management). To conform to international standards and to make the beneficiaries of the proposed training competitive in the global marketplace, it corresponds to 120 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), i.e. 60 ECTS per academic year. The course programme is composed of joint core subjects, such as those provided by the official Congolese programme, and of specialisation courses. The programme revolves around four major modules: microfinance, finance and quantitative methods, economics and management.To be admitted to the programme, the candidate must fulfil the following conditions: