To help Senegal stabilize its economy and implement an appropriate structural adjustment program, the Swiss government decided to cover the financing need by alleviating debt owed by Senegal to Switzerland.
The Swiss government agreed to write off 80% of the total debt Senegal owed to Switzerland on the sole condition that the 20% be earmarked for the funding of economic and social development programs and projects.
This model of creative debt relief program allowed to financing many Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises as well as some Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Senegal since the FCSS inception in February 1995.
With monitoring and assessments financed by the Swiss party, the Counterpart Fund keeps on functioning and could halfway through reorient its strategies.
After twelve-year assistance, the Swiss party decided, according to the Swiss debt relief policy to withdraw from the Fund management. However, it has opted, with Senegalese partners for the sustainability of such program by transforming the Fund into a Public Interest Foundation named Sen’ Finance.
The structure was recognized of Public Interest by decree N° 2007-959 signed by the President of the Republic of Senegal on September 7th 2007.
Sen’ Finances Foundation inherited the know-how and experience from FCSS as well as from structures being involved in its functioning since its inception.
The Management and monitoring team won the trust of both Swiss and Senegalese partners and remains unchanged.
Ambitions the Foundation set itself are much higher than FCSS ones in the sense that they go beyond the financial support for MFIs. Indeed, the Foundation intends developing additional constituents including technical support, business development and aims at being a sort of “microfinance-research laboratory”.
We shall never reach our ambitions but for the support from strategic and operational partners who can through the Foundation intervene in the microfinance field in Senegal. We invite any of you, beneficiaries, partners and volunteers to join us and together we will take up the challenge consisting in “promoting a professional, viable and sustainable microfinance”
“Good visit”
|