Providing affordable access to credit

The Linkage Banking programme is being implemented by The African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA) in Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Uganda and Cameroon. The main objectives of the programme are: 1) To facilitate and mobilise savings by self-help-groups so that they can generate their own part collateral and loan guarantees; 2) Provide delivery channels to groups; 3) Recycle locally generated funds to the areas from where they derive; 4) Provide a framework for a permanent business relationship between the groups and the banks; 5) To minimise transaction costs between the banks and the groups.