We wrap up our Giving Tuesday series, How I See Change, with the story shared by Simplice Amani, an operations manager with Première Agence de Microfinance (a microfinance bank) in Ivory Coast. Read on to see how your support helps people like Simplice work with communities to improve their quality of life. Do you have a story to tell? Share with us how you see change by submitting a #HowISeeChange selfie!
Simplice Amani, Operations Manager in Ivory Coast, Sees Change in the Happiness of Microfinance Clients
How do you see change?
I see change in the impact of our work on the happiness of the people we help – in this case, the communities in the northern Landiougou region of Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire). There, the average Première Agence de Microfinance (PAMF, a part of the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance) client requests a loan of just $200. Over half of them are women; the loans help their families get through hard seasons and get a fair price for their crops.
Our microfinance program was designed to help improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable populations. More broadly, it’s aimed at contributing to the development of poor countries like ours.
What inspired you to get involved with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)?
Personally, I have known AKDN in Ivory Coast for years through its enterprises like FIBAKO and FILTISAC, which produce sisal and synthetic rope, polypropylene bags, and packaging for products such as cocoa, coffee and cashew nuts. Another AKDN enterprise is Azito Energies, which has provided power here for over 10 years. These are companies of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, an AKDN agency dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world.
I learned of AKDN’s work in microfinance in 2008 when His Highness the Aga Khan visited Ivory Coast. I joined PAMF in May 2010.
What is your hope for the future of this program?
For Ivory Coast, I imagine that the program will:
- provide the most remote communities with access to basic financial services
- improve the quality of our customers’ lives
- contribute a key piece in the environment of microfinance
After three years, we hope to bring access to credit to 1,220 more clients with the support of Whole Planet Foundation. The program takes PAMF a step further toward better microfinance options for northern Ivory Coast communities. It will increase access to savings for 5,000 rural families who live beyond the reach of conventional financial institutions. For this, we have partnered with a major mobile network provider to create a system that will allow clients to use their phones to access their bank accounts.
Is there someone who embodies the program’s spirit or who inspires you about change?
There are many, including Coulibaly Seydou, a PAMF loan officer in Korhogo who was recognized in Whole Planet’s Africa/MENA Field Officer Appreciation Award as “truly exemplary.” Coulibaly goes above and beyond in his role as Loan Officer, overcoming obstacles and making a positive and direct contribution to the wellbeing of his clients. He had over 500 clients in 2013 before he moved to create a new office in Tongon, where he has managed to reach people who never had access to credit, and engage 537 new clients. Within a few months he reached more than 20 villages and extended the benefits of microfinance services.