Oliver Barasa
Team Lead at IFAD
Financial Economics at University of Nairobi
Kenya
Hi, I'm oliver Barasa!
Team Lead at IFAD
Over 18 years of work experience in the agriculture and rural development sector development, with over 16 years particularly in agricultural finance, Market research, trainer of trainers (ToT) product development and project management experience, including senior management position. Extensive experience in analyzing the intersection of digital financial services and sustainable finance initiatives, promoting environmentally responsible lending practices, and developing strategies for integrating green finance principles into lending practices, particularly in the SME and agriculture sectors. Successfully managed multiple projects focused on empowering youth in agribusiness, scaling up rural youth access to green and inclusive financial services, and promoting sustainable agriculture. Led capacity-building workshops on green entrepreneurship and financial literacy, resulting in improved financial inclusion and sustainability awareness among stakeholders. Demonstrated proficiency in stakeholder management, fostering sustainable partnerships with government agencies, financial institutions, agricultural experts, and community organizations to promote environmentally responsible lending, sustainable agriculture, and value chain development. Extensive experience working in diverse cultural contexts, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
Experience
OB Advisory Limited
Managing Director
May 2019 - Present
Develop and execute the company’s business strategies in order to attain goals Provide strategic advice Communicate and maintain trust relationships with business partners and authorities Review all submitted reports Oversee the company’s financial performance, investments and other business ventures Act as the public speaker and public relations representative of the company in ways that strengthen its profile Analyze problematic situations and occurrences and provide solutions to ensure company survival and growth
Microsave Consulting Limited
Senior Manager - Private Sector Development
May 2014 - May 2019
Lead or assist with the planning and implementation of research assignments in the agriculture finance. Plan and execute Research assignments with utmost due diligence from the inception to data collection and analysis Oversee and support the process of report writing and data analysis Provide comprehensive analysis of research findings and learning outcomes Contribute to the development of MSC’s toolkits and other publications. Building capacity of institution in the private sector development
VSO Nepal
Market Assessment Specialist
January 2012 - June 2012
Assessed the vulnerability and livelihood strategies of the target group and identified the sub-sector markets that were most significant Identified the barriers and market failures preventing the target group from accessing value chains or gaining a greater share of them. Validated the research findings and proposed interventions with key stakeholders and produced a full written report
Education
Certificates & Badges
No certificates or badges added
Projects
6. DFC Guarantee Scheme Case Study Development For (Musoni and Sidian Bank) -From September 2022-December 2022
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkGtCCNuLS4Team Lead
USAID’s Development Credit Authority (DCA), which later renamed to International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) was created to mobilize local private capital through the establishment of real risk sharing relationships with private financial institutions in USAID supported countries. The tool is available to all USAID overseas missions and can be used as a vehicle for providing much needed credit to an array of enterprises and underserved sectors. Develop two written case studies: • Documented successes and learning in the WASH sector in Kenya focusing on DFC and Sidian bank WASH guarantee partnership • Developed two videos case based on the written case studies described above. • Highlight the barriers that hinder the use and management of the DFC guarantee in mobilizing private sector capital and investment to the underserved in the identified sector
Kenya: Agri-tech Catalyst agriculture and food systems innovation- 2020
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM0TQfydZPU&t=119sTeam Lead
CABI, Agriculture and Climate Risk Enterprise (ACRE)Ltd, International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Kilimo Trust collaborated to support 30,000 farmers, particularly women and youth. Accomplishments • Developed an integrated suite of services to help increase soybean yields and sales through improved production and access to high-value markets. • Trained around 300 Village Extension Service Providers (VESPs) in soybean pest identification and management using integrated pest management (IPM)- based approaches. • Supported extended and innovative picture-based insurance tool to speed up the uptake of pest insurance products in Kenya
Languages
English
Professional
Swahili
Native
Skills
Project Bidding
Project Management
Training and Development
Agricultural Marketing
Development Finance
Develop Retention
Development Economics
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