Countries
The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone

Local project partners
Ghana: Co-operative Credit Union Association (CUA),
The Gambia: National Association of Co-operative Credit Unions of The Gambia (NACCUG),
Liberia: Liberia Credit Union National Association (LCUNA),
Sierra Leone: National Co-operative Credit Unions Association (NACCUA)

German project partner
Rheinischer Sparkassen- und Giroverband (RSGV), Düsseldorf
Sparkasse Attendorn-Lennestadt-Kirchhundem

Donor
Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)

Duration
01.10.2018 - 30.06.2023
 

The development of the four project countries in English-speaking West Africa is characterized by insufficient access to appropriate financial services as a major obstacle to development. Credit cooperatives make a significant contribution to the provision of financial services to the mainly rural population - but the organizational and institutional development of the associations and their affiliated institutions is insufficient, albeit to varying degrees. The South-South exchange between the Ghanaian and Gambian partners, which was already established in a preliminary project, was expanded to include the partners in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The overall objective of the project is to improve the financial inclusion of previously excluded or disadvantaged population groups through better access to financial services, thereby promoting their participation in economic life and contributing to poverty reduction. The concrete project objective is to strengthen the credit cooperative associations in Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone so that they can offer their members target-group-oriented and needs-based services.

Project Tasks

• The existing cooperation with the Ghanaian and Gambian credit cooperative associations (KGV) will be further expanded and the joint exchange and support of the associations from Liberia and Sierra Leone will be continuously intensified.
• In Liberia and The Gambia, post-Covid-19 activity plans are being developed and implemented for the KGVs to support their affiliated credit unions (KG) and their members. 
• At NACCUG, the new training center will sustainably serve the specific training needs of KGs by further developing course offerings. Furthermore, a risk management system at the umbrella association level in The Gambia will be completed and piloted this year.
• Fundamental work still needs to be done at LCUNA and NACCUA. The first standards are to be developed on the basis of a barely professional business activity, and business operations are to be professionalized through further organizational development and targeted staff training.
• The strategic realignment of the partner CUA is imperative due to the economic and political challenges and has therefore been newly included as a separate project result in addition to the previous project results. Sparkassenstiftung will actively accompany and support this important change process.