On Thursday 3 February 2022 in Brazzaville, Jean-Pierre Nonault, Acting Director General of National Financial Institutions (DGIFN), received the heads of microfinance institutions in Congo. In the presence of Dieudonné Ndinga-Moukala, General Manager of the Federation of Congolese Mutual Savings and Credit Associations (MUCODEC), and President of the Professional Association of Microfinance Institutions (APEMF). He was joined by Armel Fridelin Mbouloukoué, Director General of the Impulse, Guarantee and Support Fund (FIGA), and Payas Poaty, representative of the National Director of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC).

Two speeches were given: one by Dieudonné Ndinga-Moukala, President of the Professional Association of Microfinance Institutions (APEMF), who presented his structure. “Microfinance institutions are grouped together in accordance with the regulations within APEMF-CONGO. The Association has 24 institutions that operate throughout the country. They are divided into three categories, namely: 1st category (11 MFIs whose purpose is to collect savings from their members, which they use for credit operations, exclusively for the benefit of their members); 2nd category, (11 MFIs collecting savings and granting loans to third parties); 3rd category (establishments granting loans to third parties, without carrying out the activity of collecting savings)", he explained, informing the audience that Congo does not have any MFIs in the 3rd category. According to him, “the portfolio of MFIs in Congo registered on 31 December 2021 has nearly 500,000 member clients. 215 billion CFA francs of savings have been collected. While the outstanding loans are 131 billion CFA F”. Concluding his speech, Dieudonné Ndinga Moukala said that the sector is currently resilient and hopes for a real start of economic indicators to definitively turn the page of provisions on debts and other difficulties related to the crises we are going through. 

It should be noted that as part of its new policy of rapprochement with the subjects, revival of communication and strengthening of collaboration with its partners, Jean-Pierre Nonault, during this meeting, recalled the missions of his institution, namely to ensure the regulation of the national financial system and the security of savers' deposits; to promote the modernization, diversification and security of means of payment; to participate in the orientation and coordination of policies relating to the national financial system with the National Economic and Financial Committee (CNEF); ensuring the application of regulations relating to credit institutions, microfinance institutions, insurance companies and intermediaries; ensuring the promotion of the insurance sector (activity reports, control and monitoring); examining applications for authorization relating to credit institutions, microfinance institutions, insurance companies and insurance intermediaries; contributing to the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism...

Situation of financial inclusion in Congo in 2020

In his presentation, Jean-Pierre Nonault focused on financial inclusion, which is structured in two points. These are the evolution of indicators of access to financial services and the evolution of indicators of use of these services. The DGIFN indicated that there are two indicators to measure the degree of access of populations to financial services. First, the geographical penetration rate of financial services, which measures the degree of proximity, that is to say, the number of points of access to financial services in an area of 1, 000km2. Secondly, the demographic penetration rate of financial services, which measures the number of financial service points available per 10,000 adults. “The financial inclusion situation in Congo has improved overall between 2019 and 2020”, he said.

It should be recalled that about twenty managing directors of microfinance institutions took part in this first meeting, among others: Mutual Action Fund - FODAM-; savings and Credit Bank of Kouilou Women - CECFK-; Community Development Support Fund - CADC-; Express Union Congo-EUC-; Charden Farell Group -GCF-; Federation of Congolese Savings and Credit Mutuals - MUCODEC-; Participation fund for the promotion of enterprises and their development - CAPPED-; 

Women Funds planète rurale -CFPR-; Support Funds for Economic Initiatives of Claire-CAIEC-; Savings and Credit Mutual likelemba- MECL-; COFINA; HOPE Congo; MOCP; NATIF CRED... . .

The Press Office of the Ministry of Finance