Programme nearbyCommunityCotonouGrow rural agri-finance and cooperative savings groupsGrow rural agri-finance and cooperative savings groups GIZ's country package Benin of the global programme GV AgFin (promotion of agri-finance for agri-based rural enterprises) strengthens both sides of the credit market. On the demand side it coaches farms and MSMEs in financial management and helps them meet banks and microfinance institutions through producer associations. On the supply side it helps partner MFIs design products for priority value chains: rice, shea, cashew, soya, poultry, and vegetables. Solidarity savings and credit groups (GSEC) encourage saving inside cooperatives and agribusiness clusters. What you can do - Join or form a GSEC-style savings group inside your cooperative so members practice bookkeeping before seeking loans - Ask your producer association how group guarantees and adapted products (equipment, processing, nurseries) work with partner MFIs - Study the published knowledge products on farm investment planning and share them with credit officers in your region - Read the programme brief for regions covered (69 of 77 communes) and contact pathways via GIZ GV AgFin Benin (PDF) How it works Technical advice reaches farmers and MSMEs as well as nine partner MFIs and one bank. Adapted products include group loans for cooperatives, equipment and processing credit, and MSME loans for poultry, seed production, and cashew nurseries. Partner MFIs have disbursed more than 45 million EUR in credits to tens of thousands of farmers and hundreds of agri MSMEs in the target chains. Those loans are not backed by a GV AgFin credit line or guarantee fund. Why it matters Innovation stalls when growers are treated as too risky for banks. Finance that fits seasonal cash flows and cooperative guarantees lets rural builders invest in soil, processing, and decent work.financecooperativesavings +2
Programme nearbyEnergyNairobiGrow clean-cookstove markets with women's last-mile groupsGrow clean-cookstove markets with women's last-mile groups Energising Development (EnDev) helps Kenya build lively markets for improved cookstoves and small solar (with GIZ, SNV, and CLASP). Households buy from producers, traders, and last-mile entrepreneurs, including women's groups and savings groups that demonstrate and sell stoves village by village. There is no single GIZ volunteer desk; the builder move is growing that market where you already cook and trade. What you can do - Buy or recommend an improved cookstove from a local seller or women's group near you, then share how it cooks in your kitchen - Join or start a savings group (chama) that sells or finances stoves on instalments for neighbours - If you produce or distribute ICS, study the climate-friendly cooking Kenya and Senegal professionalisation pattern and partner pathways on EnDev Kenya - Host a short cooking demo with your women's group, school, or market stall so new customers can taste the difference How it works EnDev strengthens producers and last-mile agents so quality stoves reach rural customers through ordinary commerce. Savings groups often make instalments workable. Use the country page to find the approach; then act through local sellers and groups already on the ground. Why it matters Cleaner cookstoves free hours, clear kitchen air, and keep more trees standing when neighbours sell and buy them together.cookstovemarketwomen +2
