Countries
Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Local Project Partner
Malawi: Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Department of Agribusiness Management (LUANAR)
Zambia: Bank of Zambia (BoZ)
Zimbabwe: New Apostolic Church Relief Organisation (NACRO)

German Project Partner
Namibia: Kreissparkasse Saarlouis
Zambia, Zimbabwe: Kreissparkasse Esslingen-Nürtingen

Donor
BMZ

Duration
01.08.2020 - 31.07.2023

What all project countries have in common is a significantly unequal distribution of income, as well as an explicit poverty problem in some places.

MSMEs suffer from a lack of access to financial services. There is a great need for them to improve their commercial knowledge and management skills in order to make a sustainable contribution to growth and employment. The lack of "bankability" due to a low level of basic financial and commercial education is offset by training in banks and supervisory bodies that is only partially geared towards the formal sector.

The regional project contributed to strengthening the role of small agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises for economic development and employment in their countries. To this end, commercial and entrepreneurial skills of entrepreneurs were to be strengthened and their access to financial services improved. In the financial sector, including the supervisory bodies, training programmes were expanded in previously neglected areas of micro and SME financing.

A particular focus was placed on strengthening the project partners as direct training providers and the sustainability of the programme.