Francis K. Beinpuo - Member

Francis K. Beinpuo has over 40 years of banking, rural banking and microfinance practice locally and internationally. Francis had a brief banking career with the Agricultural Development Bank. He soon moved on to start the Nandom Rural Bank as the first Manager and superintended that bank for ten years.

Francis subsequently moved to the Association of Rural Banks as the Training Manager, which was then known as the Training Counterpart. For nearly 15 years, Francis was Country Director of Freedom from Hunger Ghana, where he promoted its flagship product, which is still a major credit product line for many Rural and Community Banks (RCBs) and Microfinance Institutions. After voluntarily retiring from Freedom from Hunger, he took up a contract with Initiative Development Ghana as Country Director.

However, before his contract could be confirmed, through an international head-hunting process, Francis left for Sierra Leone to take up the position of Resident Technical Advisor to the Microfinance Investment and Technical Facility (MITAF), a multi-donor project in that country.

While serving as Country Director of Freedom from Hunger, Francis chaired the discussion group of Microfinance practitioners that led to the formation of the Ghana Microfinance Institutions Network (GHAMFIN) and became the first Chairman when the Network was incorporated. He held that position until he left the country.

Francis also served on the Technical Committee of the African Microfinance Network (AFMIN). Currently, Francis is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nandom Rural Bank Ltd. He also represents the Catholic Diocese of Wa on the Board of the Standard Newspapers and Magazines (SNAM) Ltd.

Francis has special interest in Strategic and Business Planning, Staff Training, especially in group-based lending products and in the areas of governance, among others. He has facilitated training events nationally and in several African countries. Perhaps his passion for training is driven by the fact that he is a trained Certificate A-4-year Teacher from what is now St. John Bosco’s College of Education.

Francis holds a BSc Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Ghana, a Post Graduate Diploma in Social and Community Development from Coady International Institute of the St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia Canada.

He also holds a Microfinance Proficiency Certificate from the University of Colorado Microfinance Institute (previously known as the Boulders Programme) in USA and several other certificates obtained from participating in short courses abroad in Continuing Professional Development.

He joined the Board of ARB Apex Bank PLC in 2020 as the representative of the Upper West Chapter of the Association of Rural Banks.