Publication: Frontier Finance - Microfinance as a Prudent First Intervention in Post-Conflict Countries
Date
2008-04
ISSN
Published
2008-04
Author(s)
Earne, Julie
Gutin, John
Jagun, Jumoke
Abstract
While there is growing support for
microfinance globally, the unmet demand remains enormous,
particularly in Africa, and especially in post-conflict and
frontier countries. In Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Central
African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
less than 1 percent of the population has access to a bank
account. Yet as these countries continue to stabilize, the
demand for secure financial services is exploding. The
post-conflict nature of these countries magnifies the need
for microfinance services, as micro and small enterprises
(MSEs) operating at a subsistence level are often the only
surviving businesses after a conflict.
Citation
“Earne, Julie; Gutin, John; Jagun, Jumoke. 2008. Frontier Finance - Microfinance as a Prudent First Intervention in Post-Conflict Countries. IFC Smart Lessons Brief. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/8dc0c0f3-87d1-5917-a52c-0b21e1f2dd8c License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”
Report Series
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
-
PublicationAn Innovative and Cost-Effective Solution for Livestock Waste Management in China, Thailand and Vietnam(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-01)The East Asia region is home to more than half the world s stock of pigs and more than one-third of the world s poultry a population that is expected to grow rapidly over the next decades. As a result, about 26 percent of the total area in East Asia suffers from significant nutrient surpluses, mainly from agricultural sources. For instance, the region has a 47 percent surplus of phosphorus and a 16 percent surplus of nitrogen, both from animal manure. This contributes significantly to the degradation of regional water quality. To address this issue, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded the Livestock Waste Management in East Asia (LWMEA) Project. This smart lesson discusses major challenges faced and key lessons learned from implementing that regional project.
-
PublicationIFC at an Inflection Point : Time for a New Business Delivery Model?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-12)As International Finance Corporation (IFC) continues to further scale up its operations, seeking to deliver more development impact, could it be in danger of inadvertently becoming an increasingly slower and higher-cost delivery mechanism, and thus a less relevant change agent? This smart lesson, growing out of the author's observations during 32 years with IFC, proposes an alternative business delivery model with particular relevance to fragile states and frontier regions in middle income countries, in hopes of sparking a lively and productive debate around how IFC defines, delivers and measures success in its poverty reduction effort.
-
PublicationHow to Revamp a Business Edge Program : The Case of Ghana(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-11)IFC aims to strengthen the overall business environment by providing local markets with management training programs aimed at small businesses, such as Business Edge. IFC signs cooperation agreements with local business development service providers to deliver this interactive learning program. The hoped-for result is that the beneficiaries of training will run more efficient businesses and the overall economy will improve. This Smartlesson shares the lessons learned while revamping the Business Edge program in Ghana. The overhaul was achieved by clearing up training providers' misinterpretations about the program and empowering them to deliver it, defining a clear strategy for the program, shedding all but the top performing local providers, giving providers chances to network with potential clients, lining up some business for the providers, and exerting strong quality control over the program.
-
PublicationIt Started in Ghana : Implementing Africa's First Collateral Registry(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-12)The author all want to build something that matters. From the advisory Services perspective, no matter the business line, it's about helping meaningful players accomplish sustainable results. However, entering a continent with a new product is something that can be extremely challenging. This smart lesson tells of a project that, against all odds, installed the first online collateral registry in Africa, designed in line with international best practices and following principles established by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.
-
PublicationMeasureable Results! Doing Business Project Encourages Economies to Reform Insolvency Frameworks(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-01)Over the past 10 years, nearly 100 economies have reformed their insolvency regimes as a result of many factors, such as financial crises and to some extent the International Finance Corporation, or IFC and World Bank doing business project. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, governments around the world implemented extensive insolvency reforms aimed at strengthening regulatory mechanisms for resolving insolvency cases, to stimulate entrepreneurship and generate a more efficient allocation of market resources. This smart lesson discusses two of the main best practices that stem from the key reform areas: determination of business viability, and introduction of reorganization proceedings.