Assessing the Impact of Micro-Finance in Reducing Poverty among Women in the Bolgatanga Municipality in Ghana: A Case Study of Sinapi Aba Trust

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of micro-finance on women and poverty reduction in the Bolgatanga municipality, this study touched on a discipline that had experienced paucity in terms of literature availability despite widespread literature in the area in general. The population for the study was all women who were beneficiaries of microfinance from Sinapi Aba Trust, in the Bolgatanga Municipality. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select eight-five (85) women beneficiaries and nine (9) staff and management of the company respectively giving a total sample of ninety-four (94). The findings established that women held the view that microfinance has been very supportive as their income levels had increased substantially in contemporary times. The effective loan recovery strategies adopted by the Management of the Microfinance Company included; periodic field visitations and taking insurance cover on clients’ loans, use of loan recovery team and the legal system in Ghana.

Keywords:Microfinance, Poverty, Bolgatanga municipality, Sinapi Aba Trust, Women beneficiaries