REGMIFA MICROFINANCE FUND FOR AFRICA

Regional Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA) shall be a specialised investment fund that will be established in Mauritius, promoted by a donor consortium composed of leading Donors/DFIs and IFIs and led by German Financial Cooperation (KfW), in order to enhance long and medium financial needs of local financial intermediaries providing funding to Micro, Small and Medium Entreprises in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This operation aims to meet the objectives of the Cotonou Agreement for the eradication of poverty by supporting the improvement in the quality, availability and accessibility of financial services and the development of modern financial institutions and sustainable microfinance operations.

The key strategic objectives of the operation are:

• Medium to long term debt financing of commercially viable and preferably smaller MSME lending intermediaries in all Sub-Saharan Africa with a particular emphasis on local currency funding;
• Provision of Technical Assistance to support the growth process of the institutions.

As such it is one of a series of EIB operations that are running concurrently in the microfinance sector. These include equity, direct lending and technical assistance to regulated and non-regulated Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), local banks and other financial institutions which provide financing to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Environmental analysis according to guidelines acceptable to the Bank will be part of the Fund’s due diligence process in the appraisal of investee companies.

EIB will ensure that the procurement of TA services conforms to the EIB’s standards.