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Women repay loans more but receive loans less
an article by Ndéye Débo Seck, Sud on Line, Senegal
Women's access to resources is a key issue for the realization of their economic and social rights. That is why it is included in the program of the 21st Congress of the International Federation of Women in Legal Careers (IFWLC). A panel at the Congress brought together experts from the World Bank and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as specialists in finance and microfinance.
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The economic environment in the WAEMU zone [West African Economic and Monetary Union ] is marked by socio-political uncertainty, lack of access to credit and resources such as land and water. Women who are the main agricultural labor force produce food crops, provide processing, storage and trade of the majority of the production.
According to the Secretary General of the BCEAO [Central Bank of the States of West Africa], Fatima Zahra Diop, the proportion of women entrepreneurs has significantly increased, but despite their contribution, they have difficulty accessing resources. Studies show that 45% of the appropriations of Micro Finance Institutions are granted to women. 37% of women have access to financial services in developing countries against 45% of men, while it is women who best repay their loans.
Women play an important role in the construction and consolidation of peace, yet they should fully enjoy all their rights, including financial resources. For this, the factor of gender should be included in the planning process of states and economic and social actors and integrated with laws and the economy. For Diop, "we need bold and innovative action by all stakeholders in the context which is now burdened by sociological, religious and legal constraints."
The Secretary General of the BCEAO added that "women's access to finance is dependent on a general improvement in the business climate of the states of the West African Union." Incentives, policies and practices should be undertaken for sustainable agriculture and sustainable consumption patterns.
From the point of view of Aminata Niane, representative of the World Bank, "better access to land allows for better productivity, a better contribution to food security and the fight against poverty." She is convinced that "Women's access to credit is a matter of vision and political will."
(Click here for a French version of this article)
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
HOW to "set a goal" for Women on Earth Today, WOMEN own less than 1% of land worldwide; let's CHANGE THAT !
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