...General Background on Global Microfinance Trends 0 Contents 1.0 OVER VIEW OF MICROFINANCE IN GHANA...................................................... 3 1.1 DEFINITION .....................................................................................................................3 1.2 EVOLUTION OF MICROFINANCE IN GHANA ..............................................................3 1.3 THE NEED FOR MICROFINANCE IN GHANA................................................................4 1.4 MICROFINANCE CLIENTS IN GHANA...........................................................................5 2.0 PROFILES OF MICROFINANCE APEX BODIES IN GHANA................................... 5 2.1 Ghana Co-operative Credit Unions Association (GCCUA).....................................5 2.1.1 Some Current Performance of GCCUA.............................................................. 6 2.1.2 Outstanding Challenges and Future Resource Requirements of CUA ........ 6 2.1.3 Summary of Credit Unions Annual Performance ............................................. 6 2.2 GHANA CO-OPERATIVE SUSU COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION (GCSCA)..................7 2.2.1 Some Current Performance of GCSCA .............................................................. 7 2.2.2 Outstanding Challenges and Future Resource Requirements for GCSCA .. 7 2.2.3 PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF GCSCA TO CUA AS AT OCTOBER 2007.. 8 2.3 ASSOCIATION OF FINANCIAL NGOs (ASSFIN) .....................................................
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...poverty, many other social problems or issues can be pointed out including unemployment, lack of education, lack of proper governance and over population. These problems are associated with poverty and most of the time regarded as causes or effects. In government’s bid to eradicate poverty from the rural areas, it adopted strategies and one of such strategies is microfinance. Microfinance involves the application of innovative methodologies that make financial services available to relatively poor households and microenterprises. Microfinance can also be termed as the practice of providing financial services including micro credit, micro savings and micro insurance to poverty stricken or poor individuals, such that they are assisted to collect large sums of money in order to expand their choices and help them reduce the risk faced by them in their societies. HISTORY OF MICROFINANCE Microfinance activities date as far back as in the early 1900’s where Susu, which is one of the current microfinance schemes was practiced. Available evidence also suggests that the first credit union in Africa was established in Northern Ghana in 1955 by the Canadian...
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...DEVELOPMENT OF MICROFINANCE IN THE GHANAIAN ECONOMY NAME: BELINDA AKU ATEPOR INDEX NUMBER: 10224399 SUPERVISOR: DR. CHARLES ANDOH TABLE OF CONTENT Background of the Study ………………………………………….......................................3 Problem Statement ……………………………………………….........................................4 Objectives of the Study ……………………………………………………………………..5 Research Problems ………………………………………………………………………….5 Significance of the Study …………………………………………………………………...5 Literature Review …………………………………………………………………………..6 Methodology …………………………………………………………………………………. Scope and Limitations ……………………………………………………………………...7 Chapter Outline …………………………………………………………………………….8 References…... DEFINITION What Is Microfinance? Microfinance, according to Otero (1999, p.8) is “the provision of financial services to low-income poor and very poor self-employed people”. These financial services according to Ledgerwood (1999) generally include savings and credit but can also include other financial services such as insurance and payment services. Schreiner and Colombet (2001, p.339) define microfinance as “the attempt to improve access to small deposits and small loans for poor households neglected by banks.” Therefore, microfinance involves the provision of financial services such as savings, loans and insurance to poor people living in both urban and rural settings who are unable to obtain such services from the formal financial sector. Microfinance encompasses...
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...moneylenders who charge usurious rates of interest or use informal and, therefore, insecure ways of performing transactions such as payments and money transfer. The above is reflected in the quotation by the past Secretary-General of the United Nations: ‘‘The stark reality is that most people in the world still lack access to sustainable financial services, whether it is savings, credit or insurance. The great challenge before us is to address the constraints that exclude people from full participation in the financial sector. Together, we can and must build inclusive financial sectors that help people improve their lives (United Nations, 1997).’’ With almost thirty per cent of the country's population living in poverty, the Government of Ghana clearly faces an enormous challenge to reduce poverty especially in the three northern savannah regions where there is the greatest concentration of poor people. To achieve rapid and sustainable reduction in poverty, it is necessary to have an integrated policy with the various elements of the strategy reinforcing each other. The World Development Report for 1990 (World Bank, 1990) found that poverty can be reduced most effectively by a strategy with two equally important elements. The first element is to promote the productive use of the most abundant asset of the poor, labour. Broad-based economic growth through appropriate macroeconomic and microeconomic policies...
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...KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS THE USE OF STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AS A MEANS OF ACHIEVING CORPORATE OBJECTIVE IN THE MICROFINANCE SECTOR. (A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS) BY: ACKON BEATRICE APRAKU ESTHER ASABEA OPPONG-SEKUM KINGSLEY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OPTION) MAY, 2015 DECLARATION We the undersigned, declare that this is the result of our own research work carried out in the School of Business, and under the supervision of Mr. Emmanuel Oheneba-Acquah ACKON BEATRICE 8535512 …………………………… …………………………… APRAKU ESTHER ASABEA 8548912 …………………………… …………………………… SEKUM-OPPONG KINGSLEY 8584412 …………………………… …………………………… CERTIFIED BY: EMMANUEL OHENEBA-ACQUAH……………………….. ……………………………. (SUPERVISOR) SIGNATURE DATE MR. J.E TURKSON ………………….. ……………………………. (HEAD OF DEPARTMENT) SIGNATURE DATE DEDICATION This study is dedicated to the Almighty God, we made this possible despite the many challenges faced and to our supervisor Mr. Emmanuel Oheneba-Acquah whose patience and intellect, guided us through this whole phase. We appreciate you! ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...
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...Agriculture is the mainstay of the Ghanaian economy and until recently the largest contributor to GDP. (Yahiya, research Dept. of BOG, 2013) Despite the potential resources existing in the rural areas, farmers and small entrepreneurs lack the required institutional credit to play the expected meaningful role in the Economy. The peasant farmer had to rely on informal operators such as Mobile Bankers locally known as Susu Collectors, and self-help groups and money lenders for his credit needs. These creditors charge exorbitant interest rates which, in most cases, aggravates the poverty state of the borrowers. The bank of Ghana, in a bid to take care of the credit and other financial needs of the rural people, therefore encouraged Commercial Banks to expand their rural networks. The Agricultural Development Bank, for example, which was originally a unit of the Bank of Ghana, was established in 1965 with the aim of reaching the small-scale farmer(s).These Banks were however unable to satisfy the financial...
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...million was defaulted. The risk has consistently decreased from 7.9 per cent in 2009 to 6.3 per cent in 2010. With the increase in interest rates and inflation rate, non-performing advances were expected to go higher, but it is not the case. This shows that the risk in the Kenyan market is low Interest rates spiked in December 2011 after the Central bank increased its key lending rate to a high of 18 per cent to curb the inflation rate which had peaked at 19.72 per cent in November that year. Though both the Central Bank Rate and inflation rate have dropped to 9.5 per cent and 4.11 per cent, banks are still lending at an average of 17.84 per cent. Microfinance institutions in Kenya have suffered significant loan repayment default resulting into subsequently decreased employment levels and cash flow problems in microfinance institutions this can partly be attributed to the high interest rates of government borrowing. Commercial banks hold about 53.7 per cent of total bills and bonds so banks are left with just about Sh250 billion to lend to private sector keeping demand for loans higher than the supply. Based on this, the Government should...
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...RURAL BANKING IN UGANDA: IT’S IMPACT ON RURAL FARMERS (A CASE OF UNYAMA) BY HENRY EGYEYU Reg N0: 07/U/456/BAK/PS MAY, 2012 DECLARATION I Henry Egyeyu, hereby declare that this research report is my original work and to the best of my knowledge, has never been published and submitted for the award of any degree in any University or Institution before. Sign ……………………………………………….. Date ……………………………………………... Henry Egyeyu Reg No: 07/U/456/BAK/PS APPROVAL This research papers under the topic “Rural Banking in Uganda: It’s Impact on Rural Farmers” Has been under my supervision and is now ready for submission with my approval. Sign: ……………………………………… Date: …………………………………. Mr. Ambrose Eger Supervisor DEDICATION To the memory of my late grandfather Daniel Egyeyu Whose love & enthusiasm for academia first kindled mine? ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Achievement often sets off a chain reaction. Those who earn awards in various disciplines in their careers inspire us in turn to strive and excel with hard work and deeds of succession. That has been true of the process of writing this dissertation I am grateful for the motivation of Geoffrey Epolu at guluuniversity@AR.com whose question, “Do you want to graduate?” first got me started. Paul Onyango Delewa, lecturer at Gulu University, read the first script and encouraged me to go on with the dissertation. Ambrose Eger as he had always done before, made sure that what I researched communicated my...
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...one with a maximum of 10 employees. The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) which is the regulatory body for SMEs in Ghana defines SMEs in terms of both fixed asset and number of employees. It defines an SME as an enterprise with turnover greater than US$200,000 and not more than US$5 million equivalent (NBSSI) The SME market constitutes the vast majority of businesses in Ghana and over the years has evolved to become the key supplier and service provider to large corporations, including multinational and transnational corporations. Principally, SME’s has contributed to: Expanding output; Providing value-added activities in the manufacturing sector; Creating employment opportunities especially in the services sector; Contributing to broadening Ghana‟s export base; Increased competition; Innovation; SMEs are important to almost all economies in the world, especially to those in developing countries. They contribute to productivity and job creation; they serve as a nursery for larger firms constituting the next step for micro enterprises (Palma and Gabriel, 2005). In addition, SMEs tend to be the primary driver for job creation as they are labor intensive and employ more labor per unit capita than larger enterprises thereby creating more jobs in the economy. This is also evident in developing countries like Ghana, as it is estimated that the sector employs about 35% of labor (Mensah and Rolland, 2004). Again according to Sowa et al (1992), even...
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...thus; A “Cooperative is an association of person usually of limited means, who have voluntarily joined together to achieve a common economic, end through the formation of a democratically controlled business organisation, make equitable contribution to the capital required and accepting a fair share of risks and benefits of the undertaking". Hubert Calvest (1972) defines the Cooperative as a form of organisation wherein persons voluntarily associates together as human beings on the basis of equality for the promotion of the economic and social interests of themselves." Cooperatives have unique characteristics which differentiate them from other forms of business organizations particularly partnerships and limited liability companies. The following are the characteristics of cooperatives. Voluntary association: Everybody having a common interest is free to join cooperative society. There is no restriction on the basis of caste, creed, religion, colour, etc. Anybody can also leave it at any time after giving due notice to the society. That is specialty of any cooperative society. There should be a minimum of 10 members to for cooperative society but there is no maximum limit for the membership. This characteristic is similar to other forms of public limited liability companies where membership is voluntary for both and is open to anybody who can meet the requirements for membership. The only difference can be seen in the case of private limited companies and partnership where membership...
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...CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction This chapter reviews literature related to this study. This was done with the expectation that relevant information would be obtained to help shape and enrich the study, knowledge of what has been done on this topic is important in helping to clarify issues. The following topics were reviewed for the study; definition of loan, definition of SME, general principles of lending, loan monitoring and control, access to credit as well as repayment performance: theory and practice. 2.1 Definition of loan A loan is a type of debt like all debt instruments, a loan entrails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower. The borrower initially receives an amount of money from the lender which they pay back, using but not always in regular installment. Types of loans There are many different types of loans you can take out. When you are looking to borrow money, it’s important that you know your options. i. Open-ended loans: they are loans that you can borrow over and over again. Credit cards and lines of credit are the most common types of open-ended loans. With both of these loans, you have a credit limit that you can purchase against. Each time you make a purchase, your available credit decreases. As you make payments, your available increases allowing you to use the same credit over and over. ii. Closed-ended loans: this cannot be borrowed once they have been repaid. As you make payments on...
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...A PROJECT ON MICRO FINANCE MANAGEMENT AND ITS ANALYSIS IN INDIA BANKING MANAGEMENT CONTENTS PAGE NO. 1. ABSTRACT 3 2. OBJECTIVE 3 3. METHODOLOGY 3 4. INTRODUCTION 4 5. EMERGENCE OF MICRO FINANCE 5 6. CLIENTS OF MICRO FINANCE 6 7. MICRO FINANCE NEED IN INDIA 6 8. MICRO FINANCING REGULATIONS IN INDIA 7 9. ACTIVITIES IN MICRO FINANCE 8 10. LEGAL REGULATIONS 9 11. GOVERNMENT ‘S ROLE IN SUPPORTING MICRO FINANCE 12 12. MICRO FINANCE SUPPORTING WOMEN 13 13. MICRO FINANCE MODELS 14 14. SUCCESS OF MICRO FINANCE IN INDIA ...
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...10/U/15158/EVE 210006079 A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF STATISTICS AND APPLIED ECONOMICS FOR THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF ACTUARIAL SCIENCE DEGREE OF MAKERERE UNIVERSITY. TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents CHAPTER ONE 4 INTRODUCTION 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 4 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 4 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 4 1.3 THE AIM OF THE STUDY. 5 1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 5 1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 5 1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 5 1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 6 1.8 ORGANIZATION OF STUDY 6 1.9 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 6 CHAPTER TWO 7 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 7 2.1 STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE OF RURAL AND MICRO FINANCE INDUSTRY 7 2.2.0 RURAL AND COMMUNITY BANKS (RCBS) 9 2.2.1 SAVINGS & LOANS COMPANIES 10 2.3 NON-GOVERNMENTAL AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS 10 2.4 INFORMAL FINANCE 11 2.4.1 MONEYLENDERS 11 2.4.2 TRADERS 12 2.5 GOVERNMENT CREDIT PROGRAMS 12 2.5.1 INTEREST RATES 13 2.5.2 SECURITY 13 2.5.3 THE NEED FOR THE RURAL CREDIT 14 2.5.4 RURAL BANK OPERATIONS 16 3.0 METHODOLOGY 18 3.1 THE RESEARCH DESIGN 18 3.2 POPULATION 18 3.3 SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE 18 3.4 INSTRUMENT 19 3.5 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE 19 3.6 DATA ANALYSIS 19 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY If current agricultural trends continue, by the year 2020 sub-Saharan Africa’s food shortage will...
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...Public Disclosure Authorized WPS6107 Policy Research Working Paper 6107 Public Disclosure Authorized Financial Literacy around the World An Overview of the Evidence with Practical Suggestions for the Way Forward Lisa Xu Bilal Zia Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized The World Bank Development Research Group Finance and Private Sector Development Team June 2012 Policy Research Working Paper 6107 Abstract Financial literacy programs are fast becoming a key ingredient in financial policy reform worldwide. Yet, what is financial literacy exactly and what do we know of its effectiveness? This paper collects insights from the literature thus far and summarizes global evidence on financial literacy, its correlates, and existing and upcoming causal investigations. The authors conclude with a synthesis of policy advice and practical suggestions for the way forward in this fast growing area of research. This paper is a product of the Finance and Private Sector Development Team, Development Research Group. It is part of a larger effort by the World Bank to provide open access to its research and make a contribution to development policy discussions around the world. Policy Research Working Papers are also posted on the Web at http://econ.worldbank.org. The author may be contacted at bzia@worldbank.org. The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development...
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...AGRICULTURAL FINANCE STAGE II Submission In the partial fulfillment of AF Project to Prof. Vaibhav Bhamoriya Future of Payment Services in Rural Areas Submitted By Group 5 Amrita Dokania, Anjali Neha Lakra, Ashish Negi, Bhawna Nirmal, Veeru Kumar Prajapati INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT, AHMEDABAD Introduction Payments are indispensable parts of our daily transactions, be it B2B, B2C or C2C, and be it rural areas or urban areas. Payment system of a country should be “safe, secure, efficient and accessible” owing to its vital role in raising the GDP of a nation. Payments being one of the most important parts of the financial system, different channels that accelerate the process efficiently constitute the focus of the system. Banking industry has witnessed a tremendous growth in the last few decades in terms of volume and the complexities in the banking system. Even if banks have made significant improvements in the recent years for achieving financial viability and profitability there have been concerns regarding reach and serving a huge population of interior areas. There has been a skewed distribution of population i.e. 6000 per bank branch in urban and 24000 in the rural areas. India has approximately 6.4 lakh villages out of which 5 lakh villages are still unbanked because of the operational and structural issues for example viability, long distance, costs etc. Although rural India comprises of 68% of population, it constitutes only 9% of total...
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