15/09/2025
"Driving Policy Innovation in Microcredit"
There is a common misconception that managers in microfinance institutions spend their days behind desks, turning chairs, and signing papers. In reality, true leadership in this sector is lived on the ground where challenges are real, and solutions must be practical.
In recent months, I have seen firsthand how many farmers lost access to their farmlands by giving them out for “pledge” or “balance and take.” This is often driven by three main reasons:
1. Covering medical expenses during periods of poor health.
2. Financing travel opportunities for children.
3. Addressing unexpected family or community obligations
When repayments to donors became impossible to make, these farmers were unable to reclaim their lands leaving them vulnerable and disconnected from their primary source of livelihood.
Through our institution’s credit policies and on-the-ground work, we have already helped 6 farmers recover their farmlands, proving that inclusive finance can restore both livelihoods and dignity. The joy on their faces was like a farmer watching fresh rain fall after a long drought hopeful, relieved, and full of new beginnings.
While the recovery of 6 farmlands is a meaningful start, our vision is to scale this model to reach hundreds more farmers, ensuring that microcredit remains a tool for empowerment, not dispossession.
