The Ghanaian branch of MicroEnsure, a UK-based subsidiary of nonprofit Opportunity International that serves as a microinsurance intermediary, has announced plans to offer credit health insurance to microfinance clients in Ghana.
Search Results for: Ghana
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ghana Shea Value Chain Initiative Employs 3,500 Women; Aims to Reach 5,000, Build Processing Factory
PlaNet Finance, a nongovernmental organization based in France, recently announced that its shea butter project in northern Ghana has employed 3,500 women to date and is expected to employ 1,500 more in the next year [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: As Ghanaian Microfinance Grows, Some Express Need for Lower Interest Rates, More Transparency
As the number of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Ghana has grown over the last five years, there have been mixed reviews of the impact of microfinance.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency Releases Microloan Pricing Data for Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania
On January 27, 2012, as part of its Transparent Pricing Initiatives, US-based NGO MFTransparency released microloan pricing data from Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Ghanaian Microfinance Institution Sinapi Aba Trust Provides Vocational Training to Youth
To complement its microfinance activities, Ghanaian microfinance institution (MFI) Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) has set up a program to provide youth between the ages of 16 and 23 with vocational skills.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Goodwell West Africa Invests $1m in Microfinance Provider Nwabiagya Community Bank of Ghana
Netherlands-based investment fund Goodwell West Africa has agreed to raise its equity share in Nwabiagya Community Bank of Ghana from 14.03 percent to 18.9 percent with a USD 1 million investment.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Center for Financial Inclusion Releases “Over-Indebtedness of Microborrowers in Ghana” by Jessica Schicks
The Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI), an affiliate of US-based nonprofit ACCION International, recently released a report on “Over-Indebtedness of Microborrowers in Ghana,” which explores the gap between providers’ and clients’ perceptions of indebtedness [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Microfinance Initiatives of EcoBank, ACCION Win International Awards in Nigeria, Ghana
EB-ACCION Savings and Loans (EB-ASL), a Ghanaian microfinance institution, and ACCION Microfinance Bank (AMfB) of Nigeria, have recently won awards commemorating their contributions to providing microfinance services to low-income entrepreneurs. Both organizations count EcoBank, a Togo-based banking group, and US-based nonprofit ACCION International as investors.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: responsAbility Loans Local-Currency Equivalent of $4m to Microfinance Institutions Pearl Microfinance Limited of Uganda, Lift Above Poverty Organisation of Nigeria, Sinapi Aba Trust of Ghana
responsAbility Social Investments AG, a Swiss investment company that manages four microfinance investment vehicles (MIVs), recently reported to MicroCapital that it has made debt investments totaling the equivalent of USD 4 million in microfinance institutions (MFIs) Pearl Microfinance of Uganda, Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO) of Nigeria and Sinapi Aba Trust of Ghana [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Triodos Invests in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) Advans Ghana, KixiCrédito of Angola, TYM Fund of Vietnam, Belarusian Bank for Small Business
Triodos Investment Management, a Netherlands-based manager of four microfinance investment funds, recently reported to MicroCapital that it has invested an undisclosed amount of funds in four microfinance institutions (MFIs): Advans Ghana Savings and Loans Limited, KixiCrédito of Angola, TYM Fund of Vietnam and Belarusian Bank for Small Business (BBSB) [1].
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Bank of Ghana Issues New Licensing Regime to Regulate Microfinance Industry
In an attempt to improve regulation of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the country, the Bank of Ghana (BoG), the central bank of Ghana, recently issued new operating rules and guidelines under the Non-bank Financial Institutions Act 2008. Among those being regulated are ‘susu’ companies, which are named after a traditional, informal means to save and borrow.
MICROFINANCE EVENT: African Microfinance Transparency (AMT) 2011 Investor’s Fair in Accra, Ghana, October 13 – 14
Event Name: The 2011 Investor’s Fair
Event Date: October 13 – October 14, 2011
Event Location: Hotel Alisa, Accra, Ghana
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Incofin Lends $9m to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) PRIDE Tanzania; LAPO of Nigeria; Sinapi Aba Trust, FASL of Ghana
Incofin Investment Management, a private Belgian company that invests in microfinance institutions (MFIs) through six investment funds, has recently made debt investments totalling the equivalent of USD 8.75 million in four African MFIs: Promotion of Rural Initiative and Development Enterprises Limited (PRIDE Tanzania); Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO) of Nigeria; Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT) of Ghana; and First Allied Savings and Loans Limited (FASL), also of Ghana.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: World Bank Working Paper, “Small vs. young firms across the world: contribution to employment, job creation, and growth” by Meghana Ayyagari, Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Vojislav Maksimovic Explores Economic Contributions of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
In a recent World Bank policy research working paper, Meghana Ayyagari, Vojislav Maksimovic and Asli Demirgüç-Kunt offer a database on the contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and young firms to total employment, job creation and productivity growth across 99 developing economies.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Defaults, Questionable Disbursements at Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) Slow Microfinance in Ghana
A local news report indicates that Ghana’s microfinance sector is “on the verge of collapse” due to defaults and poorly monitored spending at the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), a microfinance scheme created as part of the governmental Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Government of Ghana Budgets $10m to Support Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System (GHIPSS) to Reach Rural Customers Through “E-Zwich” Biometric Identification System
The government of Ghana has budgeted EUR 7.5 million (USD 10.6 million) to support the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System (GHIPSS) in an effort to ensure high-quality delivery of financial services and to better serve the under-banked population of Ghana. Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, has been quoted as stating “the funds would allow GHIPSS to implement a countrywide biometric system as well as undertake a rural banking project that uses the National Switch and Smart card payment system, branded as e-zwich…This technology will permit offline transaction and fingerprint recognition making it highly suitable for rural areas and for the uneducated people in our country” [1]. Goals regarding the number of people to be reached and schedule of the project have not been disclosed.
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MFTransparency Announces First Microfinance Data Submissions for Ghana Transparent Pricing Initiative
MFTransparency, a US-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) that collects and publishes information on microcredit products and pricing, recently received the first submissions of loan data from ten Ghanaian microfinance institutions (MFIs) that are participating in its “Transparent Pricing Initiative in Ghana.”
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Triodos Invests in Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) KixiCrédito of Angola, Advans Ghana, Arnur Credit of Kazakhstan, Belarusian Bank for Small Business, Kompanion of Kyrgyzstan
Triodos Investment Management, a Netherlands-based manager of four microfinance investment funds, recently reported to MicroCapital that its funds have added five microfinance institutions (MFIs) to their portfolios; KixiCrédito of Angola; Advans Ghana Savings and Loans Limited of Ghana; Arnur Credit of Kazakhstan; Belarusian Bank for Small Business (BBSB) of Belarus; and Kompanion Financial Group Microfinance Closed Joint Stock Company of Kyrgyzstan.