Title: Impact Assessment of Microfinance Interventions in Ghana and South Africa: A Synthesis of Major Impacts and Lessons
Abstract: Delivery of microcredit to operators of small and micro enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries is increasingly being viewed as a strategic means of assisting the so-called working poor (ILO, 1973). Over the past decade, a considerable amount of multi- and bilateral aid has been channeled into microfinance programs in the Third World with varying degrees of success. Like all development interventions, donors, governments, and other interested parties demand evaluations and impact assessment studies to ascertain the achievements and failures of these programs. This paper reviews two such studies conducted in Ghana and South Africa that focused mainly on impact results. The outcomes of the two case studies have established that microfinance interventions have achieved significant improvements in terms of increased business incomes, improved access to life-enhancing facilities, and empowerment of people, particularly women.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 126
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