Parliamentary Centre Delivers Gender Sensitivity Training for Ghana Parliamentary Staff via Video Conference

A National Committee (for the International Year of Microcredit) was set up, however Parliament is not represented.
The Ministry for Social Affairs set up, within the framework of its Microcredit Fund, a fund reserved for women. However, the default rate remains high, as is the case with many governmental programs (as it seems that the participants feel less constrained to repay loans coming from the State).
Women parliamentarians are mobilizing to intensify their advocacy for active political and economic participation of women, with a focus on education.

from the Video Conference “Women, Poverty and Microfinance - The Role of Parliamentarians”, July 2005

BURKINA FASO

Participants revisited the Bamako Action Plan and highlighted the following actions already undertaken:

The Standing Orders of Parliament were re-examined to address gender issues and ensuring gender equality was included in the mandate of the Committee on Labour and Social and Cultural Affairs.
The strategic development plan of Parliament was made gender sensitive and gender budgeting training will be undertaken shortly in Parliament.
Parliament authorized the ratification of:

the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa;
the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
loan agreements for the financing of various projects and programs, including the Community Investment in Agricultural Fertility Project and the Sustainable Rural Development Program which both include a “youth and women” component focused on microfinance.

The production and airing of awareness raising programs in national media on women’s issues, health, economy, etc.
Celebration of World Environment Day on the theme of “Women and Desertification”.
Establishment of financial institutions active in microfinance: FAARF, FASI, FAPE, PNAR-TD.
Seeking ways to make conditions of access to credit more flexible, by taking into account the nature of the fund, the nature of the activity undertaken and the environment of the beneficiary.
Establishment (as of 1998) of an “Integration of Women in Development” cell to ensure that gender is taken into account in plans and programs.
The bill on the direction of education, the Ten-Year Education Plan and the National Fund for the Education of Women all contain dispositions to reinforce the literacy and schooling of the girl child.
A department for the schooling of girls was created in the Ministry of basic education and literacy.
HIPC funds were used by the Ministry for the Promotion of Women to provide women with necessary technology.
Training and equipping, every second year, of 1000 young unschooled girls in various trades such as sewing, cattle-raising, gardening, etc. They are put to work with the necessary equipment and an operating fund of 50,000 FCFA each.
The President donated agricultural equipment to the rural community on the occasion of National Peasant Day, with a focus on women and women’s groups.
The global plan for the promotion of women, the FAARF, and NGOs are working to establish MFIs.

from the VC “Women, Poverty and Microfinance - The Role of Parliamentarians”, July 2005

BURUNDI

Parliamentary action :

Passing of various government bills on loan agreements, thus allowing the implementation of poverty reduction strategies.
Proposition of amendments, during budget review, to increase the budget attributed to social ministries (e.g. the Ministry for the Promotion of Women), the latter having in their mandate poverty reduction strategies. Certain of these amendments were accepted.
MPs are encouraging the population, especially the rural population, to form groups to have easier access to small credits in credit unions.
Creation by the women MPs of a guaranteed fund (as yet limited) placed in a Burundi credit union, allowing rural women in particular to have access to credit and launch small income generating projects.
Control of governmental action through oral questions posed to government members in National Assembly debates, in order to be informed about government actions to reduce poverty.

Government action

Many projects have been initiated with the support of donors, essentially in the agro-pastoral sector. The government is active in mobilizing and sensitizing the population. Initiatives include:

Development of an interim economic recovery and poverty reduction strategy.
Development of a national policy for rural microcredit.
Mobilization and allocation of resources for rural development.
Intervention in favour of rural micro projects via a guarantee fund and a credit fund.
Technical support to microcredits.
Training and awareness raising for beneficiaries of microcredit.
Revitalization of the financing of rural development activities via credit and savings.
Training via exchanges of experiences with certain countries advances in the use of microcredit.
Training and awareness campaigns for the entire population about savings and the use of credit for auto development.

Contribution from Mrs Monique Rwasa, former MP

NIGERIA

The Federal Govt. had tried to provide funds for micro finance programs before but because of very low repayment rates, the program has been downplayed.
A Federal Govt. agency (NAPEP) is now responsible for the provision of microfinance to qualified Nigerians. This service is not for women alone neither do we have any such policy for women alone. Nonetheless, a few State Govts. have attempted to provide funds for this program. Quite a number of NGOs such as our own are privately involved in this program.
Now as a Parliamentarian, I am trying to see how I can collaborate with other Parliamentarians especially in Africa and the developed countries in other to share with them their experience on this subject matter.
Here in Nigeria, as a female Parliamentarian the pressure and expectations from constituents are so high that one is at a loss as to what to do to reasonably meet these expectations. Some of us have started to personally provide some sort of microfinance programmes for our various constituents, but experiences are not always positive in terms of repayment
I believe that micro finance recipients need to undergo proper training before they are given a loan. They need proper re-orientation as they are always unable to separate the loan from private funds.
The issue of micro finance is very important to ensure that a lot more women are into income generating activity to enable have their own income. Its only after this can more women be in a position to go into politics and even sponsor their own kind, be in the main stream and who knows one day take various centre positions in the socio-economic affairs of our various countries.

Contribution by Hon. Nkechi Nwaogu, member of the House of Representatives in the Nigeria National Assembly, microfinance practioner for over ten years and co-founder of a women’s NGO (Women in Action For Development) that is principally involved in the provision of micro credit and business development scheme to women.

RWANDA

The 1998 Banking Law authorized the Central Bank of Rwanda to control savings and loans cooperatives and microfinance institutions. The Central Bank put into place two codes: one for savings and loans cooperatives and the other for microfinance institutions which are not cooperatives. A law governing these microfinance institutions is being drafted and will be examined by the House of Deputies and the Senate.
To encourage women to save, the Union des Banques Populaires du Rwanda and the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Rwanda created, in 2002, the People’s Bank for the Promotion of Women.
There exist other microfinance institutions in Rwanda, such as the Association for the Promotion of Women’s Entrepreneurship DUTERIMBERE which created the Savings and Credit Cooperative DUTERIMBERE COOPEDU.
The Ministry for Gender and the Promotion of Women has also put into place a fund to support savings and credit amongst rural women, named “IBIGEGA BY'ABARI N'ABATEGARUGORI". (Statistical information on these initiatives in terms of deposits and credits will be provided at a later time).
The women parliamentarians of Rwanda are very active in lobbying and raising awareness among women on the use of existing savings and loan mechanisms in Rwanda, such as the Network of People’s Banks, which includes 148 People’s Banks in the entire country, even in the most rural communities.

Contribution by Mme AYINKAMIYE Spéciose, Senator in Rwanda and Vice Chair of the Economic and Finance Committee of the Senate, Ex Director of the Union des Banques Populaires du Rwanda

SENEGAL

The following initiatives are underway:

Apart from regional concertation committees have been set up in certain localities, a National Committee on Microfinance is in place (under the aegis of the BCEAO) but is not very operational. However, it should evolve shortly into a National Coordination Committee (NCC) on microfinance activities and would be responsible for ensuring coordination between the MFIs, the State and development partners on key questions relative to the microfinance sector. The NCC, under the aegis of the Ministry for SMEs, Women's Entrepreneurship and Microfinance, would be comprised of representatives of relevant Ministries, of MFIs and their associations, of the BCEAO, of banks, of NGOs and of donors.
The State has established a Ministry responsible for microfinance, namely the Ministry for SMEs, Women's Entrepreneurship and Microfinance. The Ministry has elaborated a 2005-2010 action plan, taking into account the recommendations of the Bamako Action Plan.
Microfinance Funds are in place, however, 40% of the MFIs are concentrated between Thiès and Dakar, i.e. in an urban area, creating a gap of MFIs in the back-country. The 2005-2010 Action Plan of the Ministry should address this problem.
An UEMOA law on microfinance provides guidance for 8 countries of the region. Senegal has worked extensively towards integrating this law; however, the national texts of laws did not follow the evolution of the microfinance sector and will have to be re-examined.

from the VC “Women, Poverty and Microfinance - The Role of Parliamentarians”, July 2005

Within the National Assembly of Senegal, the parliamentary women’s caucus undertakes activities in favour of microfinance.
In collaboration with the Ministry in charge of microfinance and women’s entrepreneurship, funds have been allocated in each region throughout the country.
As to myself, I have had to guide women in my constituency by organizing them into an association, with a membership of 70, and have thus received funds in the order of 5 million francs, This sums distributed as loans of 250,000CFA, which allows us to hold periodical meetings to monitor their activities, do some gender awareness activities and inform them on the national political situation.

Contribution by Hon. SALL Astou Kane, MP for the region of Thies, commune of Tivaouane

SUDAN

The Sudan Development Association (SDA) is a national NGO whose stated mission is to help bring the grass root communities into sustainable development process. Emphases are put on skill training, institutional capacity building, and advocating for women legal rights. SDA has also adopted a deliberate strategy of empowering target groups to handle, manage and sustain their own business. The programmes focused on income generating activities embark on competence in saving and credit, skill training, health education as well as capacity building at grass roots for sustainable future self-management for those who fall into low human development category.

The overall objective of the program focuses on advocating and lobbying for more gender centered and equitable economic policies and aid programs that will give women more access and control over resources and facilitate recognition of women work. Some initiatives of the program include:

Enhanced saving groups, with flexibility of withdrawing savings at any time;.
SDA has mobilized women in Khartoum, River Nile and Gedaref to form savings and credit groups and facilitated community resource mobilization in terms of savings, lending and private fund raising.
By 2004, 43 groups were formed in Gedaref and Khartoum besides five communities in River Nile.

Contribution by Mrs. Suhair Hamad, Training Coordinator for SDA

OTHER COUNTRIES

South Africa : Government has established MFI to assist the poor, e.g. a land bank
Zimbabwe : Microfinance facilities in the Ministry and independent ones exist but don’t seem to come down to the poor.
Malawi : Pro-poor economic growth-emphasis is on agriculture, forestation TIP, medium and small-scale enterprises, rural infrastructure and credit, main problem of high interest rates. But now bank-lending rate has been reduced, this has also reduced lending rates to the maximum of 20% in MFI.
Zambia : Micro-finance is facilitated by NGOs but accessibility for the rural women is difficult especially the paying protocols which require frequent repayments; also the bureaucracy is too long.
Malawi and South Africa : Public works programs provide a significant amount of income at the micro level.

from the Gender Equality Network Southern Africa Regional Workshop on “Micro Finance as Strategy for Poverty Reduction”, June 2005




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