The National Assembly adopted, on Saturday, the 2026 draft budget of the Ministry of Microfinance and the Social and Solidarity Economy, set at 7,727,939,616 CFA francs, we learned during the plenary.
Defended by Minister Alioune Dione, this budget is structured into four programs, focused in particular on strategic management, strengthening the microfinance sector and the development of the social and solidarity economy, considered as a lever for inclusive growth.
Faced with questions from several MPs calling for an increase in the budget envelope, the Minister of Finance and Budget, Cheikh Diba, called for a change of approach, pleading for wider access for microfinance institutions to the financing window of the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).
“The solution that we are considering as a representative in the WAEMU Council of Ministers is to advocate insistently so that microfinance institutions, at least the largest ones, can have access to the central bank window,” said Mr. Diba.
He insisted on the structural nature of this solution, estimating that in the absence of such access, microfinance institutions “will not be able to sell at a low rate”, due to the conditions imposed by traditional banks, from which they currently refinance.
The minister also called on microfinance structures to strictly comply with governance standards, an essential condition, according to him, to establish the credibility of the sector and promote sustainable financial inclusion.
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