Supporting the Microfinance Sector Regulatory Agency (ARSM) of Niger

Context

The purpose of the ARSM is to improve Niger Government’s intervention in the supervision of microfinance activities. On behalf of the Minister of Finance, it supervises decentralised financial systems (microfinance institutions).

Objective

The intervention allowed the ARSM to :

Establish a diagnosis of the organisational structure, tools and control methods of the ARSM,
Increase the dissemination of the BCEAO sanction guide within the ARSM and the microfinance institutions,
Carry out a market study on existing software to process the financial data of the microfinance institutions,
evelop a website to facilitate the communication between ARSM and microfinance institutions.

Result

In line with the recommendations made following the diagnosis of the Agence de Régulation du Secteur de la Microfinance (ARSM), two decrees have been passed by Niger’s Council of Ministers to strengthen the ARSM.

The first decree approving the statutes of the ARSM, and the second creating a public administrative body called the Agence de Régulation du Secteur de la Microfinance (ARSM). These decrees grant ARSM legal status and financial autonomy, enabling it to better fulfil its mission of regulating and supervising the sector.

This intervention took place under ICR Facility project, co-funded by the European Union (EU), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF), together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the British Council. The ICR Facility was implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (German Development Cooperation, GIZ), the British Council, Expertise France, and Stichting Nederlandse Ontwikkelingsorganisatie (Netherlands Development Organisation, SNV).

Supporting the Microfinance Sector Regulatory Agency (ARSM) of Niger

Context

Objective

Result

Feel free to share this post!