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).