With a loan of USD 4.5 million, the Foundation strengthens the impact of the Advans Group

The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation has granted a loan of US$4.5 million to the Advans Group, a leading international microfinance group established in 2005.

The Foundation, an expert in the microfinance sector

As an investor, financier, and technical assistance coordinator, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation has been supporting microfinance institutions (MFIs) and social business enterprises around the world for 10 years. With nearly €65 million in microfinance assets, it now supports more than 60 MFIs in some 30 countries.

Advans, a strategic partner for the Foundation

The Advans Group operates in 9 countries: Cambodia, Cameroon, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Pakistan, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Myanmar, with more than 800,000 clients. Advans' mission is to develop a network of microfinance institutions in developing countries that can facilitate access to financial services for small entrepreneurs in economically vulnerable situations and their families.

The loan granted by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation to the Advans Group demonstrates the excellent relationship between the two organizations and is at the heart of a truly strategic relationship and shared values. It will strengthen Advans' activities, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Group is committed to promoting entrepreneurship in both urban and rural areas of the country.

As part of the Foundation's medium-term plan, this funding aims to strengthen its presence among major players in the sector, mainly located in rural areas.

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Advans is a leading international microfinance group established in 2005. Its mission is to meet the financial service needs of small businesses and other economic agents who have inadequate, limited or no access to traditional financial services, by providing them with appropriate financial services in a sustainable and responsible manner.

For more information: https://www.advansgroup.com

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Created in 2008, under the joint leadership of Crédit Agricole SA's management and Professor Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Grameen Bank, the Grameen Crédit Agricole SA Foundation is a multi-sector operator that contributes to the fight against poverty through financial inclusion and social impact entrepreneurship. As an investor, lender, technical assistance coordinator and fund advisor, the Foundation supports microfinance institutions and social enterprises in nearly 40 countries.

Study trip and 4th African Facility Forum in Ivory Coast

Between July 8 and 12, administrators, employees of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, and partners of the "Take-off Facility for Agricultural and Rural Microfinance in Africa" program spent a week of exchanges and learning in Côte d'Ivoire. A spotlight is on this key moment in the Foundation's history.

This is the first time that the Study Tour, scheduled annually for Trustees to meet with partners funded by the Foundation, has been merged with an annual Forum of the African Facility, a technical assistance program developed in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD) since 2013. Between July 8 and 12, partners and trustees were able to exchange ideas, strengthen their knowledge of the specificities of the Foundation's fields of activity, and explore avenues of work for the years to come. Round tables, training days, and field visits were among the key moments of this strategic week for the Foundation.

The first day of the week began in Abidjan with the opening of the 4th African Facility Forum. After a first phase that supported 16 rural microfinance institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, the second phase of the African Facility, between 2017 and 2020, aims to finance and provide technical assistance to more than twenty institutions. The 4th Forum provided an opportunity to present the program's results and prospects and was marked by exciting discussions between administrators and 16 microfinance institutions supported under the Facility.

In the following days, the African Facility partners participated in training sessions on the challenges of digital finance and the financing of agricultural value chains. At the same time, the Directors made two field visits. The first field visit allowed the Directors to learn about the workings of a cocoa cooperative in Tiassalé benefiting from financing from Advans, a microfinance institution supported by the Foundation. The next day, they discovered the ZECI project in Akpessekro, an initiative that aims to facilitate access to electricity in rural areas through the marketing of off-grid solar kits. The Foundation will participate in the financing of the ZECI operating company[1], in close collaboration with the CA-CIB securitization team and will also monitor the project's social and environmental performance.

Before the week's closing cocktail reception, the Directors met as part of the Foundation's Board of Directors. Discussions focused on the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, which was enriched by contributions from the African Facility's partners. The Strategic Plan will be officially presented in November during Sustainable Finance Week, organized in partnership with Crédit Agricole to celebrate the Foundation's 10th anniversary. A photo exhibition, roundtable discussions, and a grand anniversary evening will be on the agenda to celebrate and reaffirm the Foundation's and the Crédit Agricole Group's commitment to more inclusive and responsible finance.

[1] Company co-founded by EDF and Off-Grid Electric (OGE).