Microcredit in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Symposium

This paper addresses microcredit issues that are unique to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Microcredit programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, for the most part, face the same set of problems and opportunities that programs face in other regions across the globe. There are some issues, though, that apply more to Africa than elsewhere. The paper raises question regarding:

• African NGOs lagging behind in transforming from subsidized agents to private, regulated ?nancial institutions;
• Use of microcredit as a development approach to address problem of HIV/AIDS in Africa;
• Viability of microcredit as a development strategy in post-con?ict countries;
• Wide regional and country differences in microcredit programs in Africa;
• Methods to integrate formal and informal ?nancial markets ;
• Positive and negative impacts of microcredit on entrepreneurs and their businesses, families, communities and social capital;
• Use of outcome assessments to improve micro?nance program management;
• Increasing sustainability of microcredit programs.

The paper discusses six studies by prominent micro?nance researchers who address some of these issues in a symposium.