IMPACT OF CREDIT RISK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON MICRO FINANCING THE POOR FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN AFRICA: INSIGHTS FROM GHANA

Abstract

Although Africa has experienced encouraging economic growth over the past decade, the livelihood and living conditions of most on the continent does not reflect this trend. Ghana is no exception. Even though Ghana has made modest gains in economic growth and productivity, livelihoods, unemployment, diseases and above all the number one enemy poverty among the Ghanaian population continue to soar above acceptable limits. In most developing countries like Ghana, microfinancing the poor for them to engage in entrepreneurial activity has been used to fight this number one enemy, poverty. To protect their investment, microfinance institutions (MFIs) apply credit risk management. Although credit risk management is essential to safeguarding the credit portfolio, deposits and improve loan recovery, it is essential that MFIs adopt pro-poor credit risk management practices in order to provide access to entrepreneurial finance to these ‘bottom of the ladder’ who are often marginalised from access to finance from mainstream banks. The problem is that, when credit risk management practices are too stringent, it creates the potential of denying the poor access to entrepreneurial finance, with consequences for poverty reduction. In fact, some commentators strongly suggest that financing the poor to engage in entrepreneurial activity is hampered by less than pro-poor credit risk management practices of lending institutions. This assertion has yet to be tested on MFIs in the developing country context including Ghana where microcredit has become a flourishing business. A knowledge gap therefore exists insofar as the impact of credit risk management practices on poverty alleviation through microfinancing the poor to engage in entrepreneurship is concerned. To bridge this gap, this study investigated the microfinance credit risk management practices of MFIs operating in the Greater-Accra Region of Ghana to assess the extent to which such practices hinder the poor from accessing entrepreneurial finance and impact thereof on poverty alleviation/ reduction. In the study, the Greater Accra Region is used as a test case for Ghana by involving respondents from purposefully selected 141 MFIs in the region comprising of 378 officers of MFIs and 1,235 MFI loan beneficiaries. The results reveal that stringent credit risk management practices exist among MFIs. It was also found that most of the poor who are willing to engage in entrepreneurship are unable to obtain finance due to credit risk management practices that they perceive as are too stringent. Furthermore, it was found that MFIs that adopt pro-poor credit risk management practices attract more poor clients, and such clients become successful in their businesses. Based on the above and other findings, recommendations are made which if carefully implemented can make microcredit risk management pro-poor, while minimising credit risk for MFIs. Recommendations are also made for further research.