About AMIR

OVERVIEW

AMIR is the only umbrella body for microfinance institutions in Rwanda that seeks to build a flourishing microfinance sector in Rwanda through different areas of Advocacy and Information, Research and Development, Responsible Finance, Performance Monitoring and Capacity Building. Currently, AMIR has 318 active members, serving poor and middle class families throughout the country. Although self-help groups called IBIMINA have long existed; the Microfinance sector in Rwanda is relatively young. The first microfinance has begun to exist since 1975 with the establishment of the First Banque populaire at NKAMBA (formal KABARONDO district). After the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, the microfinance sector has known a dramatic progress through the support of relevant international and non-government organizations especially for humanitarians. These NGOs helped people by support of daily use of equipment, foods but had also the microcredit teaching program. During the emergency period, in some cases the loans do not differ to grants or donations and sowed confusion among the population. Thus has developed the culture of not paying normal bank loans which caused non-performing loans primarily in the Bank Populaires, at a rate of around 45%. When the Government embarked on a development phase, many NGOs have turned and became microfinance institutions without too much professionalism.