Orabank Benin moves downmarket in the mesofinance segment

The UEMOA zone is characterized by a low bank penetration rate of 12%, revealing the exclusion of a large part of the population from financial systems. This exclusion particularly concerns farmers, women, young people and very small enterprises (VSEs). Faced with this situation of low financial inclusion in the WAEMU, and more specifically in Benin, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has set up a project to facilitate access to financial services for VSEs in Benin. This is the Projet d’Appui à la Mésofinance (PAMESO), financed by the European Union, whose aim is to help strengthen the fabric of small businesses by facilitating their access to bank financing. Orabank Benin, following a tender launched by AFD, was selected to benefit from a grant to finance a technical assistance mission for its downscaling strategy. This assistance was provided by the Agence des Banques Populaires pour la Coopération et le Développement de France. The aim of this brief is to present the strategy that the bank will deploy after the departure of the technical assistants.