Factors affecting the growth of microfinance institutions in Namibia

The level of poverty in Namibia is relatively high. Access to finance is cited as one of factors hampering economic growth and poverty alleviation. Microfinance is seen as one of the effective tools that can address poverty alleviation by engaging the poor in sustainable economic activities. Microfinance services have existed in Namibia since the late 1990s, yet they have not attained growth.The main providers of microfinance services consist mainly of Micro-lenders, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS), Public Financial Institutions (PFI) and to a less extent Commercial Banks (CB).This research report aimed to study and identify the problems that impact on the growth of microfinance finance institutions (MFIs) in Namibia.The findings of this study revealed that lack of regulatory and policy framework, lack of capital and high operational costs were the main problem areas hampering the growth of MFIs in Namibia.The study made recommendations which are aimed at enhancing the growth of microfinance institutions.