Technical assistance: COOPEC-SIFA (Togo), partner of the African Facility since 2013

© Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation / GODONG

In addition to the financial support provided by the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation, Coopec-Sifa has benefited from support from the African Facility program. Philippe Fori, Managing Director of the MFI, discusses this relationship of trust with the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation.

Could you introduce Coopec-Sifa to us?

Founded in 1997, Coopec-Sifa is a Tier 3 microfinance institution that provides financial and non-financial services to vulnerable populations. As of the end of December 2020, the institution had 43,232 clients with outstanding loans of €5.37 million. Approved in 2011 by the Togolese Ministry of Economy and Finance, Coopec-Sifa operates in the Savanes region of northern Togo. Our clients are organized individually or collectively and are predominantly women (72 %) living in rural areas (70 %).

How did the various technical assistance missions you benefited from go?

As part of the African Facility program, Coopec-Sifa has benefited since 2013 from 16 technical assistance missions aimed at strengthening our organization's institutions. Most of these missions were conducted by local experts, always with rigor and in close collaboration with our teams. Dedicated to strategy, organizational strengthening, human resources, or the information system, each mission has helped us progress.

Among the missions carried out, the relevant analysis of our environment allowed the development of the 2014-2018 and 2019-2021 business plans, integrating our strategic objectives, detailed financial projections and an action plan. A mission to strengthen risk management also led to the creation of an internal control procedures manual and training for internal controllers and members of the Supervisory Board, to enable them to fulfill their roles satisfactorily. Finally, another essential project was the improvement of the information system and the interconnection of each agency's databases with the headquarters.

How did these missions enable you to strengthen your institutional and operational capacities?

Managing an MFI requires real expertise. The partnership with the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation has allowed us to integrate the best practices and knowledge necessary for the smooth running of our institution. The development of business plans has laid the foundation for controlled growth, better risk management, and improved governance. Furthermore, the interconnection of databases represents a real added value both internally and externally. We now have reliable, real-time financial and operational information, enhanced control of field activities, and professionalized institutional management. Our clients can carry out transactions without traveling, which is a real competitive advantage.

What is your view on the overall support provided by the Foundation?

The tools deployed to facilitate Coopec-Sifa's launch have proven extremely effective. Despite our limited geographic coverage, we are often cited by authorities as a model of cooperative management. Our institution would never have reached its current position without the support of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation. Beyond technical assistance, the Foundation encourages peer-to-peer meetings and experience sharing. The annual African Facility Forums bring together all the program's partners and are excellent opportunities for exchange and learning.

This article was published in "Our technical assistance system", accessible here