Updated: July 16, 2012 (Initial publication: July 9, 2012)
Breaking news
In Niger, the President of Regulatory Agency of Microfinance Sector expresses its difficulties of action.
http://www.thejournalofregulation.com/spip.php?article1532
On the paper the "Autorité de Régulation du Secteur de la Microfinance» - ARSM" (the Regulatory Authority of the Microfinance Sector), established by law in Niger, is both original and powerful. Indeed, it is rare that this financing mechanism be regulated by a body that is its own and the Decree of 27 March 2007 that created gives it the powers to deliver licenses, permits to exercise, to disseminate information, to monitor the " Systèmes Financiers Décentralisés"- SFD (Decentralised Financial Systems), to conduct inspections and sanction. But in reality, the economic culture of savings failed in Niger and political instability made goes away a few foreign cooperative banks which had supplemented the lack of conventional banks. The Authority also requests that the public authorities, managers of the structures of micro-credit clean up the sector, before injecting any new money.
© thejournalofregulation
The "Autorité de Régulation du Secteur de la Microfinance» - ARSM" (the Regulatory Authority of the Microfinance Sector) is attached to the office of the Minister of Finance. It is therefore difficult to assess not only in practice but even in the texts the degree of its independence from the executive. It has for main function, through these multiple powers, to supervise the "Systèmes Financiers Décentralisés"- SFD (Decentralised Financial Systems), which are those handling the micro-credits in the field.
That is why it has on their place a power and ex ante and ex post control of information. The " Systèmes Financiers Décentralisés"- SFD (Decentralised Financial Systems) are governed by texts not only specific, for example a law of 1993 and 2010 in Niger, but also by common texts to the entire area of the "Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest-africaine"- UEMOA (Union Economic and West African Monetary Union) which leads the "Autorité de Régulation du Secteur de la Microfinance» - ARSM" (the Regulatory Authority of the Microfinance Sector), to intervene in that area.
But here as elsewhere, there is a difference between the texts and the facts. Thus; there are the facts on which public authorities have little control. The President of the Authority refers to the lack of economic culture of savings. This can be generalized: each country has an economic culture and it does not reform by decree manners, economic mores or the other.
But there are some facts that indicate a failure of public authorities. Thus, the President refers to Senegal, who has devoted considerable efforts to attract world funding donor, that didn’t done leaders of Niger. Moreover, political instability the country has been fleeing the donors who came to help, as the Canadian Co-operative Development Desjardin. Moreover, if this financial problem is solved, the behavior the "Systèmes Financiers Décentralisés"- SFD (Decentralised Financial Systems), poses a problem because of their lack of professionalism. The President therefore requested to government to train them urgently, for example in accounting. Otherwise, all this is useless...
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