MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: FINCA Ventures Places Equity in Agtech CassVita, Seeking to Boost Incomes from Farming Cassava in Cameroon

FINCA Ventures, an affiliate of the US-based NGO FINCA International, recently invested an undisclosed sum to take a minority stake in CassVita, an agricultural technology (agtech) firm aiding Cameroonian farmers in cultivating cassava as a climate-resilient alternative to other crops. CassVita finances farmers’ inputs, purchases their crops and processes the cassava into flour. This approach curbs spoilage,

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: ACEP Cameroon Borrows $2.2m in Local Currency from Grameen Credit Agricole Foundation to Support Micro-, Small Enterprises

The microfinance institution Agence de Crédit pour l’Entreprise Privée (ACEP) Cameroon has borrowed local currency approximately equivalent to USD 2.2 million from the Luxembourg-based Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation. Created in 1999, ACEP Cameroon focuses on the development of micro- and small enterprises (MSEs) via deposit, loan, transfer, insurance and mobile banking services. Its loan offerings include products for farming, enterprise and other purposes. The institution’s microinsurance services range from health and life cover to vehicle insurance. ACEP Cameroon

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Cameroon to Encourage Islamic Financial Services, Microfinance Institutions to Transform into Banks as Part of 10-year National Development Strategy

The government of Cameroon recently released its 2020-2030 National Development Strategy, which includes plans to expand banking, microfinance and Islamic financial services. To boost the number of banks in the country from 16 to as many as 30, the government will engage

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Activa Insurance, AXA Cameroon, IFC Launch Agricultural Index Insurance Project

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, recently partnered with two insurance companies in Cameroon to create agricultural index insurance products. These products offer payments to

MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League (CamCCUL) Members to Access Agricultural Credit Facilitation Fund of Projet d’Appui au Développement de la Microfinance Rurale (PADMIR)

Nine financial cooperatives associated with the Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League (CamCCUL), a network of 208 financial institutions that also provides financial services directly to the public, have met the requirements to access the Agricultural Credit Facilitation Fund of Projet d’Appui au Développement de la Microfinance Rurale (PADMIR), a Cameroon-based investor in microfinance institutions (MFIs).