ACEP Cameroon celebrates its 25th anniversary!

In partnership with the Foundation since 2017, ACEP Cameroon has become a leading institution in the field of microfinance in Cameroon thanks to a network of 27 branches in 6 regions in Cameroon, with 382 employees. Its mission is to support the development of Very Small Enterprises (VSEs) in the country's urban centers. For 25 years, ACEP Cameroon has been campaigning for the improvement of the Cameroonian economy.

Besides these 6 regions ACEP Cameroon also plans to expand into other North-West and South-West regions in the coming years.

Deputy Director General, Christian ANGUIN, said he was happy to celebrate 25 years ofACEP Cameroon with its many partners, administrators, clients: “We have accomplished our mission in Cameroon in a comprehensive manner, with job creation and project financing.”

To date, the institution has approximately 14,970 clients, including 24% rural beneficiaries, and manages a portfolio of 44 million euros (28,851,680,000 CFA francs).

A lasting partnership between the Foundation and ACEP Cameroon: since 2017, two loans have been granted for a total amount of €4 million, two technical assistance missions have been carried out and a global consulting approach focused on the digital transformation of the ACEP group.

We were able to meet the Director General of ACEP Cameroon

In 2022, the Foundation was approached by ACEP Conseil as part of their digital transformation plan. This €10.6 million program, of which €6.3 million is co-financed by their subsidiaries and €4.2 million, the search for which is entrusted to the Foundation. Specifically, the aim is to support the group in its fundraising and coordinate the funds raised to facilitate the implementation of this digital transformation project for their subsidiaries.

During our partnership, we were able to meet the General Director of ACEP Conseil:

For more information, Click here

Organized by InFiNe On Wednesday, January 31, 2024, this webinar focused on “Lessons Learned on ESG and Impact Investing Strategies,” and Edouard Sers was one of the speakers.

The objective of this webinar was to share lessons learned from the Frankfurt School's ESG & Impact Investing course and its implementation by dedicated professionals. It was aimed at professionals in the impact investing field, as well as professionals from other sectors interested in ESG and impact investing.

 

SPEAKERS' BIOGRAPHIES:

• Anne Bastin, InFiNe, moderator

 

• Edouard Sers, Risk and Impact Manager of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation:

As part of his responsibilities, Edouard is a member of the Foundation's Executive Committee, oversees the Risk Team, and coordinates the development of ESG and Impact standards at the Foundation. He is also responsible for overseeing the GCA Foundation's investment advisory activities for the GCA Fund FIR. Previously, Edouard led the audit and risk management functions for the OXUS network in Central Asia and Africa, and worked for many years as a rating analyst and quality manager at Planet Rating in over 30 countries. Edouard is a graduate of EM Lyon Business School and began his career as an external auditor in the banking sector for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

• Karl Richter, professor at the Frankfurt School and co-founder and executive director of Engage X:

Co-founder of iSumio, which creates software that allows organizations to calculate their impact on people and the planet, such as carbon footprint and working conditions. Executive Director of EngagedX, specializing in consulting, thought leadership, advocacy, and policy work. Karl works internationally in the private, public, and social sectors. Experienced entrepreneur, leader, and manager. Part-time course at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Previously, he served for 12 months as Head of Research and Knowledge for the UNDP SDG Impact Finance Initiative (UNSIF), where he led research to improve the analytical framework for social impact investing. Member of the European Commission's Commission Expert Group on Social Entrepreneurship (GECES) to advise on its social enterprise initiative; Member of the OECD Expert Group on Social Impact Investing. Currently Senior Fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab; and Advisor to several organizations.

Karl has been invited by civil society organizations, universities, governments, and the media across Europe, Asia, and the United States to speak about social impact investing. He has been a guest lecturer at Oxford and Cambridge Universities; advised HM Treasury on EU social investment regulations; was invited to submit evidence for alternative financing to the UK Parliamentary Select Committee on Banking Standards; was invited by the UK Cabinet to represent the UK on social investment at the EU level; and was invited by the US Secretary of State to be a panelist at the Global Forum on the Impact Economy in 2012.

 

• Claudia Dambax, Director of Advisory Services of the Council and Associate Director of Innpact SA:

She has extensive experience in fund structuring, (public-private partnership) funds, operational fund management, legal fund management, corporate governance, and board management. She has experience with a broad client base, ranging from private clients, ultra-high net worth individuals, to institutional clients, including international financial institutions and development finance institutions. Since 2005, she has worked in the financial services industry in the private sector within an asset management/AIFM company and at the European level. She has managed UCITS and alternative funds (PE/VC, private debt, real estate). Claudia has a hands-on approach and is passionate about achieving a positive impact. Since 2010, she has focused on sustainable finance and impact finance.

Before joining Innpact, Claudia worked for Sal. Oppenheim Asset Management, Deutsche Bank/Deutsche Asset Management, and the European Investment Fund. Claudia studied human geography, business administration, and urban and regional planning at the Free University of Berlin (Germany) and Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada), which she combined with banking administration. She also holds certifications in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School, ESG and Impact Investing, and Climate Adaptation Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.

 

Karl gave his perspective on the ESG and Impact Investing course. Claudia and Edouard explained why they took the course, what lessons they learned, and what they applied in practice. This was followed by a question and answer session.

During the SAT 2023, in Lomé, Togo, we were able to meet different partners.

Strong partnerships are built on mutual trust, meaningful collaboration, and shared experiences. With that in mind, we're excited to share the inspiring voices and stories of our partners. Discover these captivating stories celebrating several years of shared journeys.

Discover the one from Kaba Moise Senghor, Managing Director of VisionFund Senegal, a microfinance institution located in Senegal

VisionFund Senegal is a microfinance institution founded by World Vision International whose mission is to facilitate access to local financial services for rural and vulnerable populations, the opportunity to launch or develop income-generating activities and, in general, the possibility of improving their living conditions. @VisionFund Senegal primarily targets women micro-entrepreneurs, using the group lending methodology.

VisionFund Senegal has 58,895 beneficiaries, including 98% women and 74% in rural areas, as of September 2023.

 

Mariama Yvette Moudraogo, Vice-President of the Management Board of GRAINE, a microfinance institution located in Burkina Faso.

GRAINE SARL is a microfinance institution founded in 2006 and initiated by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Its mission is to help improve the economic and social conditions of poor populations in Burkina Faso, primarily women living in rural areas, by providing them with appropriate financial services.

GRAINE SARL has 100,549 beneficiaries in October 2023, including 62,3% women and 60% in rural areas.

 

Aloïse Aly Ndiaye, Deputy Director General of CAURIE MicroFinance, a microfinance institution located in Senegal and one of the Foundation's oldest partners, since 2009 

Caurie makes a lasting contribution to the economic and social advancement of vulnerable micro-entrepreneurs, mainly women, by offering them appropriate financial products and services.

CAURIE has 72,502 beneficiaries including 83% women and 62% in rural areas, in September 2023.

 

Razack Dimon Challa, Head of the Activities Coordination Service at RENACA, an institution located in Benin

RENACA aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial economic activity of vulnerable rural and urban populations by providing them with financial and non-financial services. The institution encourages its members to save, with these deposits serving to fund a common fund, which provides a basis for granting loans to small producers.

RENACA has 55,423 beneficiaries, including 60% women and 40% from rural areas.

 

To learn more about the organizations we support, Click here 

For 15 years, the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation has contributed to the fight against poverty and inequality through financial inclusion, particularly for women and in rural areas of some of the most fragile countries. It provides long-term support to microfinance institutions and social impact businesses through a comprehensive relationship with each partner, with financing through loans or guarantees, technical assistance missions, equity investments, and as an investment fund advisor.

As of the end of September 2023, the Foundation was operating in 37 countries, 79 partners were supported including 69 microfinance institutions And 10 impact companies with an outstanding amount of 87.8 million Euros.

The Foundation was born from the meeting of two cultures

The Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation emerged from the Crédit Agricole cooperative movement, which financed French farmers, to whom no one lent in the 19th century. The Foundation embodies Professor Yunus's vision that lending to the poor creates jobs and generates sustainable income for the benefit of all. This is microcredit, born in the late 1970s in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus's Grameen Trust and the Crédit Agricole Group are driven by a shared mission: to provide access to essential financial services to those excluded from the traditional financial system, particularly women, in rural areas so that they can develop their own businesses and in the most vulnerable countries.

The Foundation stands out by operating in difficult areas excluded from financial services, with unstable geopolitical and economic contexts (in the Sahel region, for example), and by supporting its partners over the long term. Over the past 15 years, the Foundation has established a socially responsible partnership.

The reality of borrowing customers

Microfinance positively impacts clients' decision-making power, empowers women entrepreneurs, and strengthens their overall socioeconomic status. All stakeholders are working to continuously support them, but they face current challenges: difficulties encountered due to rising risks for microfinance institutions and clients (over-indebtedness), the difficulty of measuring impact, limited job creation, and climate change.

Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation’s 2025 Ambitions.

• Supporting its partners' digital transformation and adaptation to climate change through comprehensive advice.
• Promote entrepreneurship, with priority given to women, and support small agricultural producers to address the challenges of digital transformations and adaptation to climate change.

 Five key dates

2009 : The Foundation grants a first loan from the Foundation in Kosovo to the microfinance institution KRK, in the amount of 2 million Euros

2010 : First stake in a social business company – La Laiterie du Berger in Senegal – for an amount of 200 million CFA francs (€305,000).

2012 India: 1st 1-week study tour on index microinsurance with 23 participants from 4 continents and 12 countries representing various professional backgrounds: regulators, insurers, managers of microfinance institutions, private foundations, donors.

2013 Establishment of a first technical assistance program, "the African Facility," intended to help small microfinance institutions in Africa, in collaboration with the French Development Agency

2018 Launch of the “Solidarity Banker” program with Crédit Agricole SA, which offers technical assistance missions to Crédit Agricole Group employees on behalf of the Foundation’s partners.

2020 : At the initiative of the Foundation, an international coalition of 30 organizations was created to support microfinance institutions and their clients in the face of the economic crisis caused by Covid-19.