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DEVELOPMENT AND STRENGTHENING MEMBER BASED MICROFINANCE INTITUTIONS

Under these topics, the group focused on three (3) issues:•Improvement in the policy, legal and institutional framework of cooperatives.•Developing and strengthening of rural MFIs and their apex organizations•Promotion of a linkage programme to test the credit delivery system 2

Issues 1&2: Current status of Cooperative policy and what need to be done ?The existing Cooperative policies should be reviewed. There should be a unification of Cooperative law across the country.That the level of awareness of the policies is very low.Most of the MFIs do not register properly, if at all they register. Enough publicity should be given to the policies and legal issues involved in registering microfinance institutionsThat the legal issues binding the MFIs should be improved upon.

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Issue 3: Areas of Conflict between old and new policies and legal documents The documents between the old and new

were not presented to the Group for deliberation

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Some of the Challenges identified in transforming from the old to the new policies are:capacity building, record keeping,unification of the policy, registration of the MFIs especially in the area of registration fees.

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Issue 5: Which agency should be responsible for regulation? For formal institutions the regulatory body is the

government. Government could serve as a linkage between

the larger society – for identification, sensitization, mobilization and synchronization at the state level.

The L.G. Council should recognise all unions and societies, while the state remains the regulatory body since they have the capacity for the responsibility.

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Issue 6: Expected Result of Sub-Components

Improve the micro finance institutions in Nigeria. Improvement in rural access to credit if all the

MFIs are well registered. Transformation of the rural societies in all

aspects socially, culturally, politically, economically.

Rural areas will have access to funds for transportation, job creation, eradication of poverty.

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Issue 7:TECHNICAL SUPPORT REQD. Training in areas of accounting, operational procedures,

basic book keeping, good governance and management. Sensitization and creation of awareness to both the

formal and informal institutions on latest innovations in the field of Micro Finance.

Exposure and exchange of information among themselves i.e. awareness campaign among the existing MFI and those that have been successful.

Bureaucracy and bottlenecks in registration of MFI should be watered down.

There should be recognition and motivation from RUFIN in the form of cash, identification cards, computers, vehicles, machines.

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Infrastructural development in areas of water, storage system, electricity be encouraged.

Storage and preservation facilities. Technological transfer.

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Issue 8: Roles of Stakeholders in programme implementation

Stakeholders should ensure proper policy implementation

Advocacy i.e. educating and public enlightenment Mobilization Regulation Monitoring and evaluation Auditing and funding (technical assistance) Supervision

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Issue 9: Proposed amendments for RUFIN

RUFIN should expand their operational network. RUFIN should go beyond workshops and seminar

organisation and focus attention on empowering and capacitating the end users for which the project is intended.

RUFIN should ensure that the incentives reach the end users.

Ensure that Training and stimulus loans should be administered to the end users by RUFIN.

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Issue 10: Expected Result

To attain a viable Rural Micro Finance Institutions (MFI’s) in the country.

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TOPIC 2: Developing and Strengthening of Rural MFI’s and their Apex Organizations

Issue 1: Best approach for strengthening MFI’s: Recognising their lapses and working out

solutions. Identification of needs and working on these

MFIs through training.

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Issue 2: Challenges of developing and strengthening Rural MFI’s

Information dissemination Low literacy level of most MFIs Payment of Counterpart funds by State Government Policy continuity guiding MFIs Infrastructural provisions for MFIs Ability of stakeholders to adopt to new policy and

framework guiding MFIs Issues of payment of registration fees by various MFIs

at the formal and informal sector. Attitudes of the beneficiaries and other stakeholders

to changes.

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Issue 3: The Roles of Cooperative Colleges and Other Training Services Providers

Step up training programmes to meet the current needs of RUFIN.

Should be involved in supervision to see what is really happening in the field.

Training and Re-training of staff of the college. Logistics support should be provided for the colleges e.g.

computers, library, vehicles, etc. The colleges should be autonomous and free from

government dictations. The number should be increased to twelve (12) colleges so

that at least each geopolitical zone will have two (2) colleges.

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Issue 4: Rebuilding the existing Apex Group or formation of new Apex Group

Improvement on the already existing MFI’s existing in the country.

Machineries in the Local/State Government should be set up for the existing apexes to carry them along in executing their mandate.

The structure of MFI should be maintained based on the modification of existing rules governing them.

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Issue 5: Expected Result and Outcome for Strengthening Rural MFI’s

To attain a viable Rural Micro Finance Institutions (MFI’s) in the country.

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Issue 6: Technical Support Required to achieve the goal of the Sub-components Technical support in form of vehicles, machines. Insurance for the MFI’s i.e. their assets and

liquidity should be insured (Regulatory). There should be a proper communication outfit

that should be instituted to encourage the development of MFI.

Infrastructural development in areas of water, storage system, electricity be encouraged.

Storage and preservation facilities. Technological transfer.

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Issue 7: Roles of Stakeholders CBN and Federal Department of Cooperatives

must play a major role in ensuring that MFI implement the rules guiding cooperatives.

CPMU (RUFIN) must play the major role in ensuring the implementation of these activities.

Unification of State apexes of MFI. Formation of unions by the societies at the local

level, where their constraints and lapses can be identified so as to enable RUFIN mediate in solving their problems.

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Issue 8: Proposed amendments for RUFIN

RUFIN should encourage the formation of apex groups at the local government level.

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Issue 9: Expected Result

Well managed, viable cooperative societies will be established.

Many agencies/apexes will be formed.

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PROMOTION OF A LINKAGE PROGRAMME TO TEST THE CREDIT DELIVERY SYSTEM

Issue 1: Lessons learnt from NAPEP Experience Lack of Accountability and transparency Linkage with NAPEP should not be for

implementation because implementation and execution in NAPEP is bastardized.

NAPEP does not disburse cash directly. Approach good but implementation poor.

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Issue 2: What make up an effective credit linkage system

Transparency. Accountability Knowledge sharing Credit system with no bad debt

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Issue 3: Effective management system recommended for RUFIN

Monitoring Supervision Rendition of returns Timely Annual Reports

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Issue 4: Recommended Commercial Banks

Skye Bank (former Cooperative Bank) First Bank UBA Afri Bank Union Bank

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Issue 5: Technical support required to achieve the goals of the Sub-components As discussed previously.

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Issue 6: Roles of stakeholders in policy Implementation

Empowering the stakeholders as already said. Envelope should be increased.

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Issue 7: What amendments do you propose for RUFIN?

Effective implementation of the project policy. The programme should be flexible to

accommodate changes. Individuality of the states should be respected

i.e. the peculiarity of the participating states.

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Issue 8: Expected Result

Nothing but success

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SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENTATIONS

Cooperative societies and apexes should be and be seen as public private partnership (PPP) and not another arm of government as is the case now. Government should reduce official Involvement in issues of private initiatives and wills. It should serve better as a facilitator rather than a director.

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The cooperative policy should be made known and easily available by its end users. It is not appropriate for a passenger to get into any commercial bus without knowing the transport fare. In a wider perspective societies should be encouraged to develop not to be undermined by a draconian law.

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For RUFIN to achieve its aims, it must learn from the past experience. One important area of concern is adequate and timely dissemination of information. The other is knowledge. The societies and most importantly the operators of cooperatives should be educated enough to know their objectives, to know about new innovations and ideas that can move the society forward. There should be in place, serious modification and sensitization programmes on the people and about the system.

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RUFIN should capture serious minded producers, processors and commercially oriented cooperative bodies that can be developed for effective performance.

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