Transforming the microcredit sector in Morocco: Modest gains in access and efficiency as the sector navigated financial crisis
Description
MCC’s $650.1 million Morocco I Compact (2008-2013) funded the 42.8 million USD Financial Services Project. The project aimed to transform microcredit associations into microfinance institutions and increase operational efficiency of and access to financial services to increase microentrepreneurs’ incomes. Activities included a loan to Jaïda—a fund for microfinance institutions—as well as technical support, training, and tools for associations to transform, improve operations, diversify services offered, and expand mobile banking.
NSCE lead the independent performance evaluation of the Financial Services Project with the following to assess whether providing loan support, training, and equipment for microfinance associations led to desired outcomes. Did they:
- Transform microcredit associations into microfinance institutions?
- Improve funding, operational efficiency, and transparency of associations?
- Improve social and environmental standards of associations and microenterprises?
- Increase access to financial services for microenterprises?
- Reduce cost of financial services to microenterprises?
- Increase household incomes of microentrepreneurs?
This evaluation was implemented in June-September 2013 before the compact closed and as Morocco was coming out of a financial crisis. Therefore, interpretation of results also considers how the project supported navigation through the financial crisis, rather than only considering whether or not the expected results defined pre-crisis were achieved.
The performance evaluation of the Financial Services Project used a primarily pre-post
methodology relying on data collected between June and September 2013:
- Quantitative surveys with 106 mobile banking clients and 106 credit agents and agency managers trained in social and environmental standards.
- Qualitative interviews with the key actors involved in the design and implementation of the project
Services
Phase 1: Development of research tools
- Elaboration of questionnaires
- Secondary Data Analysis
- Qualitative and quantitative surveys
- Sampling
- Populations of actors and beneficiaries of financial services
- Sample of the qualitative survey
- Definition of the sample of the quantitative survey.
Phase 2: Collecting and analysing primary and secondary data
- Preparation of surveys
- Constitutions investigation teams
- Training Surveys
- Achievements of fieldwork
- Collection and analysis of secondary data, data mining
- Data processing
- Qualitative surveys
- Quantitative Investigation
Phase 3: Consolidation, validation and final report
- Analysis, comparison and integration of results and extraction of lessons learned-first evaluation report
- Debriefing workshop and public dissemination to validate results and refine the final report of the evaluation
- Preparing reports and deliverables