Microfinance

Financial Access In Malawi

A large segment (54% overall; 45% of urban, 57% of rural) of the adult population has no access at all to financial services, either formal or informal (overall, 9% have a formal bank account (11% men, 5% women, 16% urban, 4% rural), 2% have access to semi- formal finance [NGOs, Saving And Credit Co-Operative Societies – SACCOs] and 35% have access to informal finance like Village Banks and moneylenders – these categories are mutually exclusive). Only 20% of the population has access to formal bank.

Financial Literacy-Situation Of Women

This is generally low, and lower still for women and for people living in rural areas (92% of the population has heard of loans, but 84% do not understand how interest rates work, or collateral, guarantors, opening an account etc.; 27% have never heard of a savings account). Beyond loans and savings, financial literacy is close to nil (e.g. on insurance, Automatic Teller Machines).

AWILI Micro Finance

We are a Microfinance Institution registered by the Central Bank of Malawi providing both cash and input loans to women clients including Women and Youth farmers. Under Input Loans, we work with women and youth groups providing them with climate resilient seeds and improved farm inputs paid back in harvest at attractive interest rates agreed by farmer groups through forward contracts; a model loved by rural agribusiness farmer groups. Our value chains are Poultry, Chilies, Rice, Groundnuts and Soybeans.