International Development Projects - 2026-05-09 3:58:48 PM - all published projects English

CA-3-A033694001 2026-05-08T06:32:56 The project aims to enhance Benin's sustainable economic growth by offering low-income earners better access to quality microfinance services, tailored to their situation. It ultimately helps reduce poverty in Benin by: (1) significantly building the operational capacities of the Faîtière des Caisses d'Épargne et de Crédit Agricole Mutuel du Bénin (FÉCÉCAM), Benin's largest savings and credit institution, to provide more financial services for low income earners; (2) building the self-regulating capacities of the sector's private operators, to reduce poor practices; and (3) building the Government of Benin's capacities to effectively monitor and control the sector, to make small savers more secure. The project works with the sector's main stakeholders: FÉCÉCAM; microfinance professional associations (Consortium Alafia); Benin's Ministry of Economy and Finance's monitoring unit for the decentralized finance system; and Benin's Ministry of Microfinance, and Youth and Women's Employment. Project activities focus on strengthening capacities of these different stakeholders through training and coaching. Closed 2010-05-27T00:00:00 2017-07-31T00:00:00 Benin 100.00% DID - Développement international Desjardins Education/training in banking and financial services 20.00% Informal/semi-formal financial intermediaries 15.00% Formal sector financial intermediaries 15.00% Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) development 10.00% Financial policy and administrative management 30.00% Agricultural financial services 10.00% 11720657.26 Results achieved until the end of the project (July 2017): (1) FÉCÉCAM is a leader among decentralized financial systems in West Africa, with a total membership that reaches 1,022,311 (43% of women), compared to 593,467 members (40% of women in 2009); (2) the credit union network of FÉCÉCAM is now fully computerized and has been reconfigured from 64 to 33 certified credit unions, demonstrating a higher efficiency while continuing to provide services to all communes in Benin; (3) a financial centre for entrepreneurs has been established and has served 424 borrowers, including 135 women (32%); (4) the State strengthened the consolidation of the sector by doubling the budget related to this aspect and by transforming the monitoring unit for decentralized financial systems into an Agency in order to give it more autonomy in carrying out its mandate; (5) the member organizations of the professional association of decentralized financial systems saw their capacities strengthened in governance, credit, control, internal audit and inspection, in addition to benefiting from better tools to do their work; (6) the microfinance development policy document has been updated and adopted by the Council of Ministers and is now operational. Project-type interventions Bilateral Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation Global Affairs Canada WGM Africa Pre-APP Participatory development and good governance ICT as a tool for development Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) Gender equality 1611470.00 2018656.00 529175.00 143464.00 2133246.00 2028637.00 1528823.00 2000000.00 779168.00 2010200049 DID - Développement international Desjardins 11720657.26 500000.00 171451.04 524046.00 76737.40 468091.00 424765.80 475202.41 344359.72 186486.91 185606.29 880293.52 382534.80 491613.28 410597.00 511354.92 542512.67 612314.94 604192.08 69134.42 427549.18 293270.94 301338.34 466804.07 479846.83 19204.31 369140.80 354980.13 118488.17 168688.97 172741.51 101080.63 8020.57 70051.35 287500.00