Nuru Mugambi, FKIB
Sustainable Finance and Responsible Investment in Africa Policy Advisor
Recognized as a Top 25 Global Influencer in Green Finance, Nuru Mugambi has contributed to the Sustainable Finance rewiring of banking industries across Africa. Her contributions towards policy formulation have led bankers associations towards adopting numerous progressive practices, particularly in Sustainable Finance, Gender Diversity, Digital Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities, and Consumer Protection. According to the Dutch and German development banks, the Sustainable Finance Initiative, which Nuru conceptualized and managed on behalf of Kenya Bankers Association, leads in Africa. Notably, she designed and convened the Kenya Green Bond Program, which established a green bond market in Kenya and facilitated the first certified green bond in East and Central Africa that was issued by Acorn Holdings. Most recently, she supported the Responsible Investment Thesis and Strategy Development of a top multinational fund manager in West Africa.
An advocate for enterprise development, Nuru in 2013 designed the Kenya Bankers’ industry curriculum strategy for SME development. The program, which was anchored on digital learning, has so far reached more than 40,000 entrepreneurs and unlocked more than USD 16 mn in MSME financing. She also contributed to the National Treasury Taskforce which set up the country’s first credit guarantee scheme targeting SMEs.
In 2015, Nuru became the youngest female to earn the Fellow of the Kenya Institute of Bankers (FKIB) designation for industry excellence and leadership. And in 2016 she was recognized by the Eisenhower Fellowships program and U.S. President Barack Obama as an emerging African leader. She currently serves as the chairperson of Eisenhower Fellowships Kenya, and serves on the board of the Kenya Ethics Commission for Co-operative Societies. She also serves on the board of advisors for ecocapsule, and Hisa App, two innovative startup companies; and is a champion with the Graca Machel Trust New Faces New Voices network that advocates for women’s economic empowerment.
Nuru is currently attending the Andrew Young School of Public Policy in Atlanta where she is building on her technical expertise in Sustainable Finance, Responsible Investment and Financial Inclusion policy development and analysis. She also provides adhoc consulting and advisory board services.