Mr Dominic Sam, Country Director of UNDP, officially launched the ACTIF Programme “Action, Change and Transformation through Financial Inclusion in the DRC” in the presence of the Minister of Finance, the Ambassador of Sweden and other guests from the inclusive finance sector. The ACTIF Joint Programme aims to improve the well-being of poor households and microentrepreneurs by increasing the percentage of adults, including women and youth, who will have access to formal financial products and services offered by a variety of providers.

Funded by Sweden, UNDP and UNCDF to the tune of US$5.8 million for a period of 3 and a half years, this new programme aims to reach 300,000 low-income beneficiaries, 55% of whom are women by 2021. The objective of the ACTIF Programme is to reduce financial exclusion thus contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national poverty reduction targets.

This initiative will use new technologies to increase access to savings, credit, transfers, remittances and micro-insurance to contribute to better financial inclusion in the DRC. This project will also contribute to the Government's efforts in implementing the National Road Map on Financial Inclusion formulated as part of the “Making Access Possible” process - MAP DRC.

According to UNDP Country Director Dominic Sam, “Financial inclusion is a key element in achieving some of the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The DRC, which is committed to achieving these Goals, knows how to benefit from the fact that financial inclusion models can support overall economic growth and make it more equitable.”

The project includes strengthening partner financial service providers to develop innovative methodologies tailored to the specific needs of women, men and young people. Farmers households and micro-entrepreneurs are particularly targeted while taking into account the environment and the challenges of climate change.

At the macro level, the policy, regulatory and institutional framework for microfinance will be strengthened to contribute to the implementation of the National Roadmap on Financial Inclusion under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance.

As a reminder, it was in October 2017 that the ACTIF Project document was approved by the Ministry of Finance, the Embassy of Sweden, UNDP and UNCDF as stakeholders of the Joint Programme.

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The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs). With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development. This last mile is where available resources for development are scarcest; where market failures are most pronounced; and where benefits from national growth tend to leave people excluded.

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