Guinea has one of the lowest rates of financial inclusion in the world (6.2%), and the situation is even more precarious for women (3.8%) and for people living in rural areas (4%). In this situation, access to financing is a major challenge for the country's entrepreneurs, especially in the agricultural sector.
To support the development of rural and women's entrepreneurship, Enabel has just entrusted DID with the mandate to support Guinean microfinance institutions, to help them meet the needs of entrepreneurs, and especially women entrepreneurs, working in various agricultural value chains (especially pineapple, mango and potato). As part of this responsibility, DID will carry out a participatory analysis of the partner financial institutions, develop a capacity-building plan for each of them and support these institutions in the development of financial products suited to the realities and needs of micro, small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises.
To support gender equality, the intervention strategy will focus on specific economic activities and opportunities for women, taking their particular needs into account and mitigating the specific barriers and obstacles they face on a daily basis.
Through this initiative, DID will help create new economic opportunities for women and men operating agricultural businesses, enhance their capacity to innovate and grow their businesses and strengthen their economic autonomy, as well as that of their families and communities.