A group of organizations involved in international development recently launched the Alliance for Entrepreneurship in Africa (AforE) with the aim of supporting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those owned or operated by youth and female entrepreneurs. The alliance seeks to
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SPECIAL REPORT: Online Event: Strengthening Cybersecurity to Boost Financial Inclusion in Africa; July 13, 2021
The 
53rd Midi de la Microfinance, held by Luxembourg-based NGO ADA Microfinance, will focus on cybersecurity as it relates to financial inclusion in Africa. This includes suggested “points of attention and concrete actions” microfinance institutions may use to minimize the risks associated with
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Baobab+ Raises $5m in Equity, Debt to Expand Pay-as-you-go Solar, Tablets in Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal
The French technology company Baobab+ recently raised EUR 2 million (USD 2.4 million) in equity from the Facility for Energy Inclusion Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (FEI-OGEF), an initiative of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Baobab+ also secured a loan of the same amount from the Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund (EEGF), which is
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FEI OGEF Loans $4m to Bboxx to Expand “Pulse” Electric Power Management, Pay-as-you-go Solar Energy in DRC
The Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (OGEF), a debt fund of the Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI), recently lent USD 4 million to Bboxx, a UK-based solar energy installation and financing firm that is active in Africa and Asia. The loan proceeds are slated to help Bboxx meet its agreement with
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ADA, Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation Respond to COVID-19 with Information Sharing, Funding, Partnerships
Luxembourg-based NGOs ADA (Appui au Développement Autonome) and the Grameen Crédit Agricole (GCA) Foundation have launched a range of resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the following:
SPECIAL REPORT: Partnerships, Patience, Sizing Goals for Hummingbirds to Meet SDGs Via Financial Inclusion, Complimentary Services
“We 
need to develop services with added value to increase impact,” said Corinne Molitor of ADA during the first Wednesday plenary session at SAM. In the absence of non-financial services, financial inclusion does not lead directly to reduced poverty. To find evidence of poverty alleviation, she says, we must consider the long term because reducing poverty is a very slow process. Mathieu Ciowela of the UN Development Program said of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that, “We have been implementing this for four years. Maybe in 10 years we’ll have data on progress.”
Adrian Kamenitzer of the European Investment Bank also spoke in terms of decades rather than years. He told a personal story of growing up in Romania and observing the transition from communism. “In 1990, we had a new regime. We had hopes,
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “A G7 Partnership for Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa;” published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, July 2019, 24 pages, available at https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/Documents/WomensDigitalFinancialInclusioninAfrica_English.pdf
This report offers five ways in which G7 countries can contribute to making digital financial services more accessible to the 400 million individuals
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: South Africa’s MFS Africa Lands $14m in Equity from Equator Capital’s ShoreCap III Fund, FSD Africa, Goodwell Investments, Lun Partners to Boost Mobile Financial Services in Rural Areas
South Africa-based financial technology (fintech) company MFS Africa recently raised equity totaling USD 14 million to expand its mobile financial services (MFS) into additional rural areas in Africa. The investors, which are participating in undisclosed portions, are US-based impact fund manager Equator
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Microfinance Summit; January 24-25, 2019; Istanbul, Turkey
The 3rd Global Microfinance Summit will address topics influencing the microfinance industry such as: (1) Digital Transformation: The Next Big Leap in Microfinance; (2) Impact of Microfinance on Sustainable Entrepreneurship Development; and (3) Green Microfinance: A Tool for Sustainable Business and Climate Action. Additionally, attendees will participate in open discussions on topics such as
MICROFINANCE EVENT: SME & Financing Africa Forum; November 6-7, 2018; Johannesburg, South Africa
Organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, a multilateral institution based in Côte d’Ivoire, this event is focused on the transformation and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa via facilitating access to finance, improving access to larger contracts, providing corporate connections and building leadership skills. Presentation titles include the following: (1) Innovative Instruments to Improve SMEs’ Access to Finance in Africa; (2) The Impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on SME Growth in Africa; and (3) Using Social Media to Increase Your Sales and Build Your Brand.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Investing in Responsible Finance and Innovation for Africa’s Digital Economies; October 2, 2018; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Summary of Event: The Ninth Annual Responsible Finance Forum brings together investors, policymakers, practitioners, and innovators to discuss opportunities for growth as well as risks of abuse relating to digital financial services in Africa. Participants will learn about technology solutions and business models for accelerating
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Climate Investment Funds Disburse $15m to “Zambia Strengthening Climate Resilience” Project for Technical, Financial Support for Smallholder Farmers
The World Bank recently disbursed a total of USD 15 million in grant and debt funding via the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), a group of four funding vehicles addressing issues related to climate change, for the second phase of the Zambia Strengthening Climate Resilience project. The project was launched
SPECIAL REPORT: Public Solutions at SAM: Collateral Registries, Business Training, Higher Microinsurance Uptake Can Promote Entrepreneurship in Africa
At 
the SAM (Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance) plenary on “Public Solutions to Promote Entrepreneurship in Africa,” Kennedy Komba of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) explained that his institution’s SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) Working Group comprises 53 regulatory and policy-making bodies. To facilitate the growth of entrepreneurship, these agencies have created collateral registries, adjusted lender liquidity ratios, updated know-your-customer frameworks and established rules for digital financial services. Trainers in Zambia used a financial education game to reach 5,000 people, of whom 80 percent were able to improve their businesses as a result. In Ghana, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Bank of Ghana collaborated to boost local value chains in an effort to reduce costly
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: International Labor Organization’s (ILO’s) Impact Insurance Facility, Africa Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) Partner to Promote African Microinsurance
The Impact Insurance Facility (IIF) of the International Labor Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations, and Africa Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re), a Nigeria-based corporation that assists reinsurance institutions and invests in the African insurance sector, have agreed to partner to promote inclusive microinsurance markets for the financially excluded population in Africa[1].
SPECIAL REPORT: Promoting Partnerships that Support Value Chains at Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance (SAM)
During the opening plenary session of African Microfinance Week, also known as Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance (SAM), the hot topic was partnerships, especially those that support value chains. André Okou of the African Development Bank, explained that his organization aims “to create new synergy by approaching the value chain in an integrated fashion – supporting all parts of the chain, including non-agricultural elements – to tackle constraints.” Raphaël de Guerre of the French government’s Agence Française de Developpement stated, “In Guinea we have added value for coffee producers. In Cameroon, we have increased honey prices by a factor of 3, showing private investors that this is viable.”
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Loans $30m to Paraguay to Fund Small, Medium-sized Enterprises
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a US-based multilateral finance institution that operates in Latin America and the Caribbean, recently approved a loan of USD 30 million to the government of Paraguay.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Asian Development Bank Loans $200m to Yes Bank of India to Fund Women’s Self-Help Groups, Small-Scale Farmers
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), a multilateral development finance institution based in the Philippines, has recently approved a loan of up to USD 200 million to Yes Bank Limited, an Indian commercial bank based in Mumbai.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Triodos Sells 14.5% Equity Stake in K-rep Bank of Kenya to Existing Shareholders Centum Investment, K-rep Group
The Triodos Sustainable Finance Foundation, a unit of the Netherlands-based Triodos Bank, recently sold its entire 14.5-percent equity stake in K-rep Bank of Kenya, a commercial bank founded in 1999 that provides services to low-income people.