Rural Microenterprise Assets Programme: Capitalization, Technical Assistance and Investment Support

This pilot programme is testing new tools and mechanisms that can benefit poor rural communities and help rebuild their trust in the state. It works to empower small-scale farmers, micro-entrepreneurs and craft workers who have limited access to resources but show social, economic and cultural potential. Most households in the target population have suffered from decades of violence.

The programme covers the entire country, with a particular focus on supporting women and young people. Principal activities include:

• Investment in rural microenterprises
• Training and capacity-building
• Creating linkages among participants for knowledge-sharing purposes.

The programme develops rural microenterprises and markets by improving poor communities' access to financial resources, technical assistance, information and institutions. Programme resources, managed by locally elected committees, finance microenterprise initiatives proposed by participants. Thus the programme empowers poor rural people, encouraging their participation and helping them to define income opportunities, livelihood strategies, and technical and microfinance service needs.

The government showed strong commitment to the programme by increasing its counterpart funding by US$3.0 million in 2011.

Project website

Source: IFAD