关注不同种类的小额信贷机构

本文在小额信贷机构的运作方面和他们在影响坦桑尼亚中小企业发展上做出的努力方面提供见解,作者将会对这两个案例进行研究。案例研究主要是针对 PRIDE Tz提出非政府组织小额信贷机构和秋叶原商业银行。之所以选择这两个机构,是因为它们被认为是在小额信贷机构中提供最佳小额信贷实践管理服务的。它解释了PRIDE Tz和秋叶商业银行如何 曾协助中小企业提高他们的收入,扩大他们的业务活动。PRIDE Tz是一个非政府组织(NGO),成立于1993年5月5日,作为没有股权的担保有限公司。其主要目标是在坦桑尼亚向低收入企业提供金融服务。

 

“PRIDE Tz的使命是为小型和微型企业家创造一个可持续的金融和信息服务网络,为了促进他们的业务增长,提高他们的收入并创造就业”

 

PRIDE Tz的贷款方法是在孟加拉国基于团结集团贷款采用格莱珉银行模式进行操作。在这种模式下,贷款申请人必须形成一个自我选择的五人小组,其目的是为了有资格获得贷款。

 

关注不同种类的小额信贷机构-Taking a look at various different Microfinance Institutions

 

In providing insights into the operation of MFIs and their effort in influencing the growth of SMEs in Tanzania, will look up on the two case studies The case studies was mainly aimed at PRIDE Tz which presents NGOs based Microfinance Institution and  Akiba Commercial Bank presesnting Banks. The two institutions was chosen because it is considered to be among the MFIs with the best practices for administering microfinance services. It gives insights on how PRIDE Tz an Akiba Commercial Bank had assisted SMEs to raise their income and expand their business activities. PRIDE Tz is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) which was incorporated on 5th May 1993 under Chap 212 as a company limited by guarantee without share ownership. The main objective is to provide financial services to the low income entrepreneurs in Tanzania.

 

“The mission of PRIDE Tz is to create a sustainable financial and information services network for small and micro-entrepreneurs in order to promote their business growth, enhance their income and create employment”38

 

PRIDE Tz’s lending methodology is based on the solidarity group lending model adopted from the Grameen Bank model operating in Bangladesh. Under this model, loan applicants have to form a self-selected group of five people in order to qualify for a loan.

 

形成团体-Formation of a Group

 

Clients are required to form a group of five self selected members as a prerequisite for loan consideration because they guarantee each other in their respective groups. Also in the case of default, it is even easier to make a follow up, since each group member knows each other better than the lender.

 

训练-Training

 

Before the disbursement of the first loan, PRIDE Tz’s new clients who are in a group have to attend a one hour pre-loan weekly training for the first four weeks. The pre-loan training normally aims at familiarising the clients with PRIDE Tz’s loan terms and conditions. During the training the clients have to pay a registration fee of Tshs 1,200 each.

 

贷款申请和批准-Loan Application and Approval

 

Loan approval is normally determined by the performance of the business and the repayment behaviour of the client. If a meeting is scheduled specifically for approving a loan and one member of the group fails to attend a meeting, the loan is not disbursed at that meeting.

 

每周例会和偿还-Weekly Meetings and Repayment

 

PRIDE Tz requires its clients to attend weekly meetings in the branch offices. Weekly meetings constitute the discussion of the loan application and approval, the loan repayment and payment of LIF, and normally take one hour.

 

贷款规模-Loan Size

 

The PRIDE Tz loan sizes ranges from Tshs 50,000 (about US$50) to Tshs 5,000,000 (about US$5,000) . The current loan sizes were reviewed in 1996. Previously, the minimum and maximum loan sizes were Tshs 50,000 and Tshs 600,000 respectively.

 

Experiences of MSEs Supported by PRIDE Tz

 

The success of PRIDE Tz in reaching a large number of clients while achieving operational sustainability is explained by excellent management team, use of the Grameen Bank model, funding from external donors and management support from experiences of PRIDE Africa. ``

 

Income Increment and Business Expansion

 

SMEs revealed that that loans have increased their income in many different ways. PRIDE Tz provides working capital loans, and using these loans, they were able to invest in their businesses, make profit and expand/open new businesses.

 

Explaining the advantage of the loan available, one PRIDE Tz client said:

 

Generally, production has increased. Clients stated that the loans have assisted them in increasing production which in turn increased their income and led to the expansion of businesses.

 

Capital Invested

 

SMEs comparing their capital when they started business and after accessing PRIDE services, clients reported to have increased their capital compared to before they received the loan. It was revealed that other clients of PRIDE Tz are also clients of other financial institutions.

 

Evidence of Successful PRIDETz Clients

 

Anna Setoko is Grain Traderresiding in Arusha, said:

 

“Since I started buying maize with my first loan from PRIDE,” she said, “my business has doubled. When I started this business, I would never be able to afford more than 10 bags. Now I regularly buy 20 bags and I have moved into wholesale business, selling to other traders in the market.”

 

Mohammed Malipura who is the owner of Electronics Repair Shop, Dar-es-Salaam, said

 

“When I joined PRIDE Tz I thought I will be able to get any amount I needed, but that was not the case, as a new member has to start from the stage of 50,000/= and keep graduating until the level of 5,000,000/=. This takes so long to get enough funds for big loan seekers.”

 

高利率-High Interest Rates

 

This was indicated by the clients of PRIDE TZ saying that the available funds were too expensive. As well as the interest rates that the borrower has to pay the lender, there are other direct and indirect costs incurred by the clients. These costs include registration fees, weekly compulsory savings and the loan application fee. All these add to the cost of obtaining the loan.

 

With the aim of fostering growth and to seize the opportunities of the unserved market various financial instutions are coming up with innovative lending approaches to tap the SMEs microfinancing needs. One of the approaches designed by one of them is explored hereunder and growth motives to SMEs is analysed;

 

秋叶原商业银行的经验-The Experience of Akiba commercial bank

 

In pursuit of this goal, AKIBA pioneered many types of savings and microfinance loan products, with which it has supported various micro enterprise activities such as food vending, fish mongering, groceries, mitumbas (sale of second hand clothes), small scale diary cattle keeping, retail and distribution, tailoring, carpentry, masonry works, internet cafes, stationery shops, secretarial services, barber shops, hair salons, and small scale agriculture etc.

 

Vision and Mission: The vision of Akiba Commercial Bank (ACB) is to be the Tanzanian bank of choice in the provision of financial services to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. To realize this vision, the bank’s mission is to provide appropriate microfinance services in the most efficient and sustainable manner possible while simultaneously embracing the social and environmental interests of all its stakeholders.

 

贷款产品-LOAN PRODUCTS

 

AKIBA currently offers several microfinance loan products each tailor-made to suit every type of our customer. In broad terms, the features revolve around both the traditional group and individual loan methodologies. Besides these, and by virtue of being a full-fledged commercial bank, it also able to offer consumer lending and corporate loans and overdrafts.

 

团体微贷款-Group micro loans

 

Under this scheme, customers are able to borrow as little as TZS 20,000 and as much as TZS 5 million with no tangible securities other than their savings and the guarantees that members of the group give to each other. The total portfolio size currently stands at TZS 800 million. Total of 4000 customers have been served under this approach.

 

个人小额贷款-Individual micro loans#p#分页标题#e#

 

This is the product that serves many micro entrepreneurs in this country. Since its launch May 2001 in one branch, it has grown at a faster pace than any other loan product over the past two years, from just above 700 active loans in December 2001 to 4500 today.

 

消费贷款-Consumer Loans

 

As with the individual micro finance lending, AKIBA was the pioneer of consumer lending in Tanzania having introduced the product in December 2000. It was little wonder that the portfolio and the total asset base of the bank grew very rapidly during the early days of its launching.

 

SME and post loan changes

 

In this section general profile is provided for the sample of enterprises that were provided credit by Akiba commercial bank in terms of some key variables and the post loan changes in these variables. Also the uses of the loans and how these have affected the enterprises is discussed.

 

Sectoral composition:

 

Sectoral composition of Akiba Commercial bank borrowers of the sample shows the high extent of concentration of Akiba Commercial Bank on traders (retail and wholesale). No clear pattern is visible among the different categories of borrowers, i.e. new, repeat and dropout, in their sectors of business except for a slightly higher share of manufacturing among the repeat borrowers than new , with which it has supported various micro enterprise activities such as food vending, fish mongering, groceries, mitumbas (sale of second hand clothes), small scale diary cattle keeping, retail and distribution, tailoring, carpentry, masonry works, internet cafes, stationery shops, secretarial services, barber shops, hair salons, and small scale agriculture etc

 

Business experience of entrepreneurs:

 

Akiba Commercial Bank SME borrowers have a fair degree of experience in their respective businesses. Majority of the borrowers are involved in the business for more than 10 years. This conforms to the fact that the Akiba Commercial Bank look for customers with some amount of experience. Though majority of the borrowers took SME credit for the 7 business already about 9 years old, some 17 percent of the borrowers received credit for the businesses they had been doing for not more than 3 years.

 

Value of the business:

 

Average value of the businesses, measured by the amount for which the entrepreneur can sell the business, was Tsh 1.84 million before taking loan. Presently, the average value of the business of these enterprises is Tsh 2.49 million. Increase in value of enterprises has been higher for repeat borrowers than new borrowers, as expected, since they are operating for longer durations.

 

Sales volume:

 

Average yearly gross sales of the new, repeat and dropouts were Tsh 4.29, 5.61 and Tsh 6.47 million before taking loan. Since Akiba Commercial Bank is providing much needed working capital to these enterprises, volumes of sales have increased for almost every borrower. On average, present sales of these enterprises are respectively 40, 67 and 26 percent higher compared to pre-loan period.

 

Present loan size and future credit plans

 

Average size of the last loans of the repeat borrowers is understandably higher than that of the new borrowers and dropouts. On average, loan granted is about 85 percent of amount demanded by the borrowers, with enterprises in the service and trading sectors receiving relatively more (87-88% of amount requested) compared to those in manufacturing and agro processing sectors (82-83%). 80 percent of the total respondents (including dropouts) expressed their interest in taking future loans from Akiba commercial Bank

 

Uses and impact of loan

 

SME enterprises in Tanzania chiefly require financing for three purposes – for start-up, for working capital, and for fixed capital. Unavailability of working capital from formal financial institutions is recognized as one of the major complaints of SMEs in Tanzania. The single most important use of Akiba Commercial bank SME loans is in the form of working capital. 89 percent of the clients reported that they used their loan for increasing working capital

 

With the aim of fostering growth and to seize the opportunities of the unserved market various financial instutions are coming up with innovative lending approaches to tap the SMEs microfinancing needs. The approaches designed to motivate growth SMEs Despite significant role of MFI in supporting SMEs but there are a number of constraints which make the SMEs not able to expand their business as analysed hereunder

 

2.他们支持中小企业获得小额信贷的目标是否成功了?-2. Are MFIs succeeded in their aim of Supporting SMEs?

 

These microfinance institutions have played an important role of enabling low income earners especially SMEs to increase their income by taking loans from them and invest such funds in economic and business opportunities. Below are the ways on which MFIs have played their role. First of all MFIs have the ability economically to empower vulnerable groups such as women by increasing their contribution to household income. Before the existence of Microfinance institutions vulnerable groups’ banks were not able to offer those loans and so it was not easy for them to contribute in their households by doing this, clients not only accumulate assets but also save through productive investments

 

Also MFIs helps to create opportunities for self employment by making available capital for enterprising poor men and women to engage in small business. The growth of Tanzania population and provision of better education services has led to unemployment problem due to the fact that Tanzania is a poor country and therefore it is unable to employ all educated persons and therefore it has encouraged its citizens to engage themselves into private sector, by providing microfinance services many Tanzanians now are able to employ themselves and employ others through private sector. According to the four years report of NEDF (Mfuko wa Wafanyabiashara Wananchi - SIDO) of 2002, since the foundation of that fund to 2002, 21,798 employments have been created. Average value of loans was Tshs 321,885 and each 191,450.75 created one chance of employment.

 

The presence of Microfinance Institutions increases welfare including school attendance, nutrition and health. Through Microfinance Institutions families have been able to save and get credits use generated return from their business to buy good food for their survival. By taking loans and apply them to business opportunities, Tanzanians are able to manage to take sustainable meals at their homes, also Since low income earners are generating cash from their business/investment operations enables their children to go to school because they are able to buy and pay all school needs i.e. exercise books, uniforms and pay school fees.

 

The increased participation and contribution of SMEs has led to an increased need for financial services. Credit has been recognised as one of the tools for promoting the development of SMEsChijoriga (1997). Loans enable the SMEs to enjoy both benefits of economies of scale and those of new high-value technology Grande (1984).

 

MF infrastructure increases the scope for mobilizing domestic savings even in rural areas which can be done in various ways including savings clubs, mobile savings banks, and formal Microfinance institutions such as Postal office savings banks, building societies, cooperative societies, informal saving groups, and money lenders. (SIDO, 2007)

 

Availability of MF institutions in remote areas offer the opportunity to save in good times and borrow in bad times especially for women’s clubs, young farmers clubs and other production oriented groups find it easier to save with the MFI that are closer to their areas of operations and or residence. In these ways it has created opportunities for adoption of new technologies and new production relations.

 

Although microfinance institutions are trying to hard to fulfill their roles but they are facing challenges. Some of the challenges are as follows:

 

Achieving operational, financial and institutional sustainability and at the same time contributing to poverty reduction. Most MFIs cannot meet all their internal operational costs, from their generated incomes and at the same time make a surplus to meet their developmental needs. This made the MFI’s rise loan interests in order to be sustainable.

 

Poor facilitation which includes physical infrastructure like roads, utilities, lack of markets, low levels of education by the rural poor, lack of diversified sources of income and other related constraints make provision of financial services a great challenge indeed. This is why most of Microfinance institutions operate in towns and cities leaving people who live in remote areas.

 

High interest rates is also a barrier for SME to access loans. These are not set by the organizations (programs) schemes themselves. In most cases they are set at levels that are too low to cover MFIs operational costs. Most of Microfinance institutions borrow money from banks for high interests therefore that interest should be paid by their customers.#p#分页标题#e#

 

MFIs have generally been concentrating in urban especially in Dar es Salaam where communication is much easier leaving rural areas where the majority of poor Tanzanians live

 

The Author of the report revealed that most of the MFIs if not all of them provide only two types of services which are financial services and non-financial services and none of them concentrate in training and insurance which are important aspects in microfinance. The financial services provided by MFIs are mainly in the form of loans and savings. 89.3% of MFIs offer short-term working capital loans, of which 56% offer an investment loan of more than one year’s duration in addition to the working capital and 33.3% offer different types of loans. None of the MFIs offered insurance services. The non-financial services provided by MFIs are business advice and business training. Of the 37 MFIs surveyed, 16 (43.2%) offered business advisory services to their clients, of which only 12 offer in addition business training to their clients. However, it was observed that, the trainers were not experts or practitioners in small business operations; they were only credit officers. Proper training and business advice made MFI customers manage their loans better and and improve their business skills.

 

The institutional set up of SACCOS and SACAs and other MFIs make their supervision very difficult. Further, the prevalence of loans that are not secured in a commercial manner necessitates the development of specialized regulations and supervision methods to allow for such lending to take place (E. SSEMPEBWA, 2002).

 

The above mentioned challenges have made many Microfinance institutions not to meet their objectives and hence to turn from service to Business organizations in order to sustain. It has been a tendency for some Microfinance institutions to have some hidden objectives different from the regulations guiding them making super profit have become their main objective.

 

Although the major objective of MFIs is to solve the problem of poverty among Tanzanians, sometimes clients of microfinance have been experiencing some problems. Some of challenges been faced by microfinance clients are as follows:

 

Lack of usable collateral: for those banks which offers microfinance services one condition to be eligible to get loan is to have assets to put as security for a loan. Poor people usually do not have any valuable assets to tender as collateral to lending institution as a result they find it difficult to access loans. (SIDO, 2007)

 

It is a common understanding that SMEs in Tanzania are being, to some extent, excluded from the targeted clientele of both the formal and semi-formal sectors (e.g. Ahmed, 1999; Meagher, 1998). However, this is not a unique phenomenon particular to Tanzania. A large survey in 80 countries by Schiffer and Weder (2001) revealed that financing is the foremost obstacle for SMEs growth followed by taxes, regulation and inflation. Various factors are considered to be the hindrace for SMEs to be financed. They include lack of access to banking services due to unavailabity of identity document,birth certificates,proof of residence,education and distance and lack of transport infrastructure.

 

Most SME ventures in Tanzania depend on personal savings, family or other informal credit sources.

 

Another challenge that faces microfinance clients is stiff competitions for clientele between Microfinance Institutions. Many Microfinance Institutes are concentrated in urban centres and hence competing in a small area convincing people to take loans and buying debts of other MFIs therefore Microfinance clients take loans from more than one MFI and find themselves in hard time when they are needed to remit their weekly and monthly instalments.

 

High illiteracy levels, low level of business development, management skills and competition with similar imported products cause weak demand for SME products make SME not to realise profit and hence inability to service loans.

 

Too small size loans and high interest rates: most of MFIs starts lending at 50,000/= for new borrowers, those rates were set in early nineties and the value of shilling in those years is not the same as today against USD. It takes a long time for a member to start from 50,000/= and keep graduating until the level of 5,000,000/= it is also indicated by clients of MFIs that available funds are too high as well as interest rates that the borrower has to pay the lenders. There are direct and indirect costs incurred by the clients and those costs include registration fees, weekly compulsory savings and the loan application fee. All these add to the cost of obtaining the loan. (Kessy and Urio)

 

Despite the challenges above, poor people in Tanzania have demonstrated their ability to economically utilize financial services such as savings and mutual funds make long lasting impact on their lives. The Government is convinced that if MFIs are given adequate attention, they have the potential to contribute considerably to the economic development of the country (E. SSEMPEBWA, 2002)

 

3.结论-3. Conclusion

 

建议-Recomendations

 

The Tanzanian government should develop policies that will require MFIs to give proper training to their customers.

 

Increasing the number of microfinance institutions in Tanzania could match with increasing number of business/investment opportunities financed by them.

 

总结-Conclusion

 

To a large extent MFIs operation in Tanzania has brought about positive changes in the standard of living of people who access their services. Although some of the clients have not benefited, most MFIs clients have benefited positively. Despite the achievements of MFIs clients, most of them complained that, the interest rates charged by MFIs were very high.

 

The findings reveal that the process of application for loans starts with small amount and after repayment the client can apply for next higher amount. This process was observed to be a limiting factor for those customers who needed a large amount right from the beginning. This is true because it takes an unnecessarily long time for those seeking a large loan to obtain enough funds to meet their needs. In addition to the time taken to receive large loans, the clients also raised concerns about the time frame from the receipt of the loan to the time of starting repayment, which is just one week after the disbursement of funds in most cases.

 

The surveyed MFIs conducted a pre-lending training programme, but it was further observed that, the training was provided by loan officers who were not experts or practitioners in the area of small business. The training concentrated more on familiarising the clients with loan terms and conditions rather than providing small business skills. This practice may build up the spirit of loan repayment but does not influence business growth.

 

Generally, all SMEs operating in Tanzania are facing a number cultural, socio economic and operational barriers in relation to microfinance services that limit that ability and capacity to grow. In addition SMEs in different stages face other unique challenges to grow and from those who are already running SME the main challenges are limited access to quality and affordable microfinance services, access to term finance and sufficing working capital to meet their needs.

 

4.建议-4. Recommendations
 

The following recommendations are put forward in order to improve operations of MFIs.

 

1. The interest rate should be lowered to a level that would cover MFIs’ operating expenses and at the same time facilitate the growth of their clients’ business.

 

2. MFIs should consider the possibility of increasing the grace period and reducing the frequency of repayment so as to provide for clients with long term loans turn to businesses such as farming.

 

3. The poor state of the infrastructure, especially rural roads, was pointed out as the main reason why MFIs fail to operate in rural areas. In addition to improvement of infrastructure the Government of Tanzania, in collaboration with MFIs, should introduce trade exhibitions to their micro and small businesses in order to expand the SMEs’ market coverage.

 

4. MFIs should restructure their training contents to include improving their clients’ business skills. They should organise regular business training for their clients and qualified training institutions should conduct this.

 

5. Regarding the issue of small base loans, the MFIs should be flexible by raising the minimum base to reflect changes in the value of money over time.