This report on Darfur includes an assessment of the demand for microfinance and a review of the existing supply; the researchers find that Darfur – and Sudan in general – has a dearth of microfinance intermediaries or even institutional structures that could develop into microfinance institutions. Recommendations are offered, including:
- Strengthen the service delivery system through training
- Design wholesale group loans to associations that banks can better manage
- Outsource the establishment and start-up of a new MFI
- Link the formal and informal providers by introducing “branchless banking”
- Use mobile phone-based systems to create virtual transaction accounts, to broadcast information, for insurance, and for transfers, savings, and other banking services
- Establish a “Sustainable Environment Fund for Darfur,” aimed to finance transitions to and establishment of environmentally sound developments in Darfur.
Researchers collected data through focus group discussions and interviews. The report was commissioned by Feinstein, IOM, and UNDP Sudan.
