When Solidarity Becomes a Value Chain

15 July 2022
Content from a Premium Partner
African Development Bank (Abidjan)
press release

Just a few years ago, Benina Bint Yahya was barely making ends meet in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. Back then, Yahya and her eight children relied mostly on her husband's modest income. Today, Benina is a different woman: an independent entrepreneur full of hope.

It all began in 2018, when, with nine other women, Benina decided to launch a new cooperative, which they named "Do Your Business Next Door". They planned to open a bakery.

The "Promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Youth Employment" (PAMPEJ) project crossed their path and the ten partners, led by Benina, received valuable support to start their business. PAMPEJ provided them with kitchen utensils, oven and refrigerator.

"We then raised funds to buy the raw materials. And it started quickly. We are on the right track," says the new entrepreneur.

"Tassamouh Lilhalawiyat" - which means "case of delicacies" in Arabic, finally opened its doors in 2018 in Nouakchott.

Benina's collective is one of dozens of beneficiaries of the Promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Youth Employment project.

In Africa, small and medium businesses account for the majority of jobs created. Strengthening this essential link in the economy and development is therefore a priority for the African Development Fund.

In Mauritania, the Fund has fostered an enabling environment for business creation by supporting microfinance institutions through the Fund's Promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Youth Employment project, launched in 2016.

The project received nearly $3.5 million in the form of a loan and a grant of $714,000 from the African Development Fund. Less than a year after its launch, it has seen resounding success: more than 600 MSMEs and over 1,200 jobs had already been created.

Thanks to her income, Benina is providing her daughters with a quality education, enrolling them in reputable schools. But that's not all. Each member of her cooperative contributes monthly to solidarity funds for use as a collective banking system for their respective needs.

To be helped and to help in return. Through PAMPEJ, the ADF has initiated a value chain of solidarity. Isn't that the most beautiful success?

Read the original article on African Development Bank (AfDB).

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