Eisenhower Fellowships-Kenya has appointed Nuru Mugambi as chair of the board of directors.
The Kenya Bankers Association Director of Public Affairs was elected to replace Lady Justice Mary Ang’awa who was selected for the 1998 Eisenhower Fellowships Multi-Nation Program.
“I am thankful for this opportunity to lead a team of changemakers who share a passion to positively transform Kenya and Africa,” said Mugambi.
“Based on the unparalleled resource base that is the Eisenhower Fellowships global network, we have a great opportunity to help inform local policy and regional collaboration towards promoting sustainable socio-economic development,” she added.
Mugambi was selected in 2016 for the inaugural Eisenhower Fellowships Africa Program, a local non-profit organisation affiliated with the U.S.-based Eisenhower Fellowships Program, for her leadership in Sustainable Finance within the banking industry.
The Africa program, which was introduced by former US Secretary of State Colin Powell during his tenure as EF Fellowships Chairman and recognised by U.S. President Barack Obama, included emerging leaders from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Mugambi has been instrumental in the Kenyan banking industry’s adoption of progressive practices, particularly in the areas of public engagement, sustainable finance, and Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Through the Kenya Bankers’ Association’s Sustainable Finance Initiative, she has led the 46 member banks to adopt standards that promote an inclusive, sustainable, and environmentally-conscious growth agenda.
Mugambi was inducted in 2015 as an Honorary Fellow of the Kenya Institute of Bankers and is a founder of the Kenya Chapter of Graça Machel’s New Faces/New Voices Pan African network that advocates for women’s economic empowerment.
Her goal is to position Kenya as a Center of Excellence for sustainable finance in Africa, leveraging on investments in SMEs, clean energy, and mobile technology.
To that end, Mugambi intends to develop policy recommendations on innovative new financial instruments such as green bonds, and to establish a fund – managed through the KBA’s member banks and micro-finance institutions – to finance Kenyan SMEs that are making a socio-environmental contribution to society.
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