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Microfinance

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TERMS * Rural Financial Services Project (Africa Development Bank, German Agency for Technical Cooperation, World Bank): refers to a project being undertaken by the above bodies to provide financial services to the rural dwellers to enhance development.

* Credit risk: This refers to the degree to which it is likely that a borrower or debtor may not repay a loan or debt. It also means a particular borrower or debtor perceived by a lender or creditor as being particularly not likely to repay a debt. (Microsoft Encarta 2007). | | |
INTRODUCTION
Poverty is one of the problems faced by the people living in the rural areas and this largely affects their lifestyles both socially and economically. Along with 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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