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|
Population, total (millions) (2003) |
11.8 |
|
Population growth (annual %) |
2.9 |
|
GNI (current US$) (billions) |
2.7 |
|
GDP (current US$) (billions) |
2.7 |
|
GDP per capita (constant 1995 US$) |
211.0 |
Source: World Development Indicators
Taimako: Developing Strategies to Provide Savings in Rural Niger
Summarized from: "The Microfinance Experience with Savings Mobilization", 2000.
By: Jacqueline Bass and Katrina Henderson
Established in 1993, the Taimako Bank has sought to become an economically viable savings and loan institution in the face of a collapsing banking system and the failure of large-scale development projects. Taimako works primarily in Niamey's urban center, but it is developing a diversified and decentralized system that can provide sustainable financial services to the rural population as well.
Taimako's focus is on savings. The bank requires every loan client to save for six months before qualifying for a loan. Because urban areas provide a larger capital base, Taimako launched its three savings products--savings accounts, current accounts, and investment accounts--in an urban area. The goal was to master savings activities in Niamey and solidify the bank's financial foundation before moving into rural areas.
CARE's Mata Masu Dubara (Women on the Move) Program in Niger: Successful Financial Intermediation in the Rural Sahel
By Hugh Allen and William Grant
The paper enlists five case studies to highlight the impressive scale and the low cost of the savings-led initiatives across the world where this approach has succeeded. These include:
- PACT's Women's Empowerment Program (WEP) in Nepal;
- CARE's Mata Masu Dubara (Women on the Move);
- Self-Help Groups Movement in India;
- Community Savings Funds in Mexico;
- Ashrai in Bangladesh.
See also:
Banking on the Poor: Saving and Lending Groups for the Poor, 2005, J. Ashe