Country Survey for Ethiopia

The Country Survey for Ethiopia provides an overview of the microfinance industry in Ethiopia. Outlining the national socio-economic, political and historic factors impacting the microfinance market, the Country Survey forms a valuable backdrop against which to examine Ethiopia’s transparent pricing data.

The Ethiopian microfinance sector is characterized by its rapid growth, an aggressive drive to achieve scale, a broad geographic coverage, a dominance of government backed MFIs, an emphasis on rural households, the promotion of both credit and savings products, a strong focus on sustainability and by the fact that the sector is Ethiopian owned and driven. The industry has a strong focus on loans to the very poor, as indicated by the relatively small loans when compared to neighboring countries. Sector outreach is impressive and the financial performance of the sector is considered good, although the operational margins and profitability are low.

The Country Survey provides context for this, looking at:

• Political Overview
• Macroeconomic Overview
• Traditional Financial Sector
• Financial Inclusion
• Microfinance Institutions
• Microfinance Regulation
• The Cost of Borrowing
• Consumer Protection
• Challenges for the sector