Symbiotics Investments recently issued a loan of USD 7.5 million to Tunisie Leasing and Factoring (TLF) “to further expand its renewable energy and energy-efficient machinery and equipment offerings” for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Tunisia. Symbiotics sourced the funding
Category: Africa
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: UNCDF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Launch Mobile Money Program in Ethiopia
The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the US-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced a two-year cash-in/cash-out (CICO) program intended to increase financial inclusion in Ethiopia via mobile money agents and other means. The program is to include: (1) training for 15 service providers in “digital money distribution aspects such as gender-intentional design and technology provider selection;” (2) a Digital
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Sankalp West Africa Summit; June 12-13, 2023; Accra, Ghana
This event will focus on mechanisms through which entrepreneurial partnerships in regions such as South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, can solve global issues. The organizers expect approximately 80 speakers and 300 delegates discussing topics such as: (1) Agriculture; (2) Climate Change and Clean Energy;
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Enlit Africa Forum on Energy, Power and Water; May 16-18, 2023; Cape Town, South Africa
The 2023 edition of this annual event will cover topics relating to energy and water in Africa, including how to invest in support of climate resilience and energy security while aligning short-term successes with host nations’ long-term visions. The opening-day keynote is titled
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Global Forum on Remittances, Investment and Development (GFRID); June 14-16, 2023; Nairobi, Kenya
The eighth edition of this biennial event will begin with two days of sessions with titles such as: (1) Remittances and Diaspora Investment as Tools for
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Oxfam, Goodwell Launch Pepea, $23m Fund to Invest in SMEs in East Africa
Two Netherlands-based organizations, the NGO Oxfam Novib and for-profit Goodwell Investments recently partnered to create Pepea Fund, with EUR 20 million (USD 22.8 million) from Oxfam Novib to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. Goodwell Investments will
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Lidya to Shift from Retail Lending to Providing Fintech Infrastructure
Lidya, a US-based financial technology (fintech) firm that has provided digital loans in Nigeria, the Czech Republic and Poland, recently announced it will shift its focus to providing technology infrastructure to financial institutions. Lidya’s credit platform helps lenders “originate, manage and collect loans,” including via the Collect tool, which is intended to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Equity for Tanzania, New Holland to Lease Tractors to Small-scale Farmers
The Italy-based equipment manufacturer New Holland recently collaborated with leasing company Equity for Tanzania (EFTA) to deliver 200 tractors to Tanzania in an effort to enhance mechanization among small-scale farmers, improve agricultural productivity and strengthen food security. The effort includes
MICROFINANCE EVENT: Finance Magnates Africa Summit; May 8-10, 2023; Johannesburg, South Africa
This event offers sessions including: (1) The Global Economy, African View: Facing Financial Distress; (2) Fintech in Africa: Opportunities in
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Impacts of Microcredit Access on Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Adoption and Rice Yield in Kwara State, Nigeria,” by Adejoke Yewande Bakare et al
Because 70 percent of Nigeria’s population is active in agriculture as a primary occupation, climate change has a direct impact on the livelihoods of most people in the country. Access to microcredit can
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: MLF Malawi Partnering with ADA, Grameen Credit Agricole to Develop Digital Finance for Women Farmers
The Malawi-based unit of the UK’s Microloan Foundation (MLF) recently partnered with two Luxembourgish NGOs, the Grameen Credit Agricole (GCA) Foundation and ADA (Appui au Développement Autonome), to boost its services to female smallholder farmers by creating digital loan, savings and transfer products tailored to their needs. A total of 17,000 women are to be trained in using the new products with the aim of
MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financial Inclusion in Niger: Challenges and Opportunities,” by Yoro Diallo et al, Published by IMF
This paper examines the inclusivity of financial services in Niger. The data examined indicate that Niger is behind other countries in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) in terms of access to financial services. Only 14 percent of the adult population of Niger accesses and uses formal financial services, such as those offered by commercial banks, e-money service providers and microfinance institutions (MFIs). The WAEMU country closest to Niger in terms of this metric is Mali, in which 55
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Credit Café Africa, Sterling Bank Partner on $22m in Loans for Providers of Health, Education in Nigeria
Two Nigeria-based companies, the financial services portal Credit Café Africa and Sterling Bank, recently agreed to collaborate to distribute NGN 10 billion (USD 21.7 million) in loans to health and education facilities. The loans, which will be sized between NGN 100,000 (USD 217) and NGN 20 million (USD 43,400) are to focus on
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: AgCelerant, Bank of Africa, IFC to Support Rice Value Chains in Senegal with Access to Loans, Insurance, Tools, Inputs
AgCelerant, the agricultural technology (agritech) service of Mauritius-based Manobi Africa, recently partnered with the Senegalese unit of the Bank of Africa Group and the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) on an effort to
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Tingo Mobile Launches Visa Card, TingoPay Super App, Business Portal in Africa
Tingo Mobile, a subsidiary of the US-based Tingo Group that previously focused on providing technology services to farmers in Africa, is now targeting business owners of all types with its recently announced Tingo Visa card, TingoPay app and TingoPay business portal. Through these products, which leverage the firm’s new partnership with US-based digital payments company
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) to Offer Fintechs in Kenya Access to Mastercard Payment Cards
Diamond Trust Bank (DTB), a Kenya-based institution serving four countries in Africa, recently expanded its partnership with US-based payment processing corporation Mastercard, which will enable
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: OPEC Fund Donating $1m to UNCDF to Boost Energy Access, Reduce Emissions, Starting in Madagascar, Tanzania
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development recently granted USD 1 million to the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) to co-finance clean cooking, energy access and renewable energy through the Climate Finance and Energy Innovation Hub (CFEIH). CFEIH was created in 2022 by the OPEC Fund, UNCDF and the Austria-based
MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Al-Qutaibi Funding Renewable Energy Products, Climate Adaptation Strategies for SMEs, Farmers in Yemen in Collaboration with USAID
Yemen’s Al-Qutaibi Islamic Bank for Microfinance recently launched its Vendor Finance Department to support farms and other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in acquiring technology to produce renewable energy as well as “climate-smart” farming tools such as “solar-fed irrigation systems, greenhouses, and tunnel farming tools.” The bank did this with support from the