Study aiming to prepare for the implementation of financing through local microfinance institutions to enhance the sustainability of living conditions and resilience to climate change for households and communities in Gilgit-Baltistan
The AFD has developed the Rural Development and Climate Resilience Program (RDRCP) in partnership with the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives of Pakistan, the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, and AKDN. This program includes an "Access to Financing" component aimed at providing access to credit under more favorable conditions to finance investments in basic services (housing, energy, water), whether private or collective.
AFD has asked HORUS to clarify and consolidate the findings of a preliminary feasibility study conducted in 2020, with the following objectives:
- Assess the status of microfinance in Gilgit Baltistan, with a focus on microfinance institutions with a local presence in the province and their capacity to finance households targeted by the project; identify potential obstacles
- Confirm the loan repayment capacity and willingness to pay of households and small enterprises targeted as final beneficiaries of the project.
- Review and clarify the operating procedures for the financial guarantee instrument envisaged in this project.
Services provided
- Documentary review and preselection of partner microfinance institutions
- Design of a research framework and data collection tools
- Implementation of a qualitative survey through about a hundred of respondents through focus group discussions with potential end-beneficiaries
- Interviews with pre-selected partner financial institutions
- Analysis, synthesis and recommendations on the use of the financial envelope dedicated to the “Access to Finance” component of the RDRCP and on the implementation of the component.