Financing Women-Owned SMEs: A Case Study in Ethiopia
Mar 31, 2013
| H. Kipnis | USAID
In September 2008, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a Development Credit Authority (DCA) guarantee with the Bank of Abyssinia (BOA), Ethiopia’s third largest bank, to offer loan financing assistance specifically to target women-owned SMEs by guaranteeing up to US$4.3 million in loans over a 7-year period (2008 – 2014). This report focuses on the motivation, impact, and lessons learned of utilizing a DCA risk-sharing agreement, coupled with technical assistance, that specifically targets women-owned SMEs.