The Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR) held an important Stakeholder Engagement Meeting on the 29th of November 2024 at Sainte Famille Hotel, with a primary focus on Livestock Value Chain Financing.
This meeting was an important step in AMIR’s ongoing efforts to enhance the role of microfinance institutions in supporting Rwanda’s agricultural sector, particularly in the livestock industry.
Mr. Jackson KWIKIRIZA, Executive Director of AMIR addressing the meeting
AMIR has partnered with Land O’Lakes Venture37 and Rwanda Orora Wihaze (ROW), a project funded by USAID, to promote livestock value chain financing. This initiative’s target is piggery, poultry, and fishery value chains and aims to improve access to financial services for farmers, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSEs), as well as cooperatives in the livestock sector. Through this collaboration, AMIR seeks to develop sustainable solutions that improve the availability, access to finance and consumption of Animal-Sourced Foods (ASF) in Rwanda.
The partnership adopted a market systems development approach, addressing key constraints in the market and establishing partnerships with MSMEs to scale innovations in the livestock value chain.
The meeting was organized to present the current opportunities and challenges in financing the piggery, poultry, and fishery value chains, discuss the types of financial assistance needed by microfinance institutions to enhance their services to the livestock sector, and gather insights from stakeholders to inform the development of effective financial products and services for the sector.
Lucia Zigiriza , Chief of Party at Land O’Lakes Venture37
The collaboration between AMIR, Land O’Lakes Venture37, and the various stakeholders marks a significant step toward building a more sustainable and inclusive financial ecosystem for the livestock sector in Rwanda. The insights gathered from the meeting will guide the development of better financial products, ultimately contributing to the growth of the livestock industry and improving food security in the country.
