After significant development in the sector - Microfinance in Morocco - since its inception in the mid-nineties to now, in recent years started to suffer from problems and new challenges such as:

1 - hardness performance: for after the loan recovery rate exceeding 98%, it currently covers 94% only, to see the advances that began Tqtaa known in the sector recently, and is intended to "benefit the beneficiary and one of several loans by various associations," and this phenomenon is due to the concentration of a number of associations active in this area, close to each other resulting in the intersection of customers, in addition to the absence of a common data and data on beneficiaries has increased portfolio, which is in danger Le port feuille à risqué which exceed 30 days from 0.5% in 2004 to 5% in 2008 or approximately 400 million dirhams, and is working to overcome the National Federation of Microcredit Associations "FNAM" to install the center of the risks of micro-credit associations to avoid popularly customers.

2 - Rising interest rates: the proportion of the prevailing interest rates in Morocco by the micro-credit associations, which between 13% and 15%, which is very high compared with the situation socio - economic for the poor, and the social objective of these associations, as this ratio remains higher than applicable Balobnak (ranging between 8% and 9%), which is primarily aimed at profit, so it should reduce this ratio to be in line with the status of the poor and enable them to benefit from the services provided by micro-credit associations.

3 - uneven geographic distribution: Keep the geographical distribution of agencies, micro-credit associations is characterized by unequal between the urban and rural area, most of the centers are concentrated in urban areas, with the knowledge that rural areas need significantly to this type of financial services, it is currently 1.4 million customers, we find only 400 thousand customers of the world areas.

4 - Sustainability or agent of continuity: the microcredit associations still depend heavily on grants and contributions for capital to finance its activities, by the organs, organizations and donors, and so the challenge posed by the continuity of the activity of these associations and expanded to include other geographical areas, in addition to the reflections current global financial crisis, the sector has been reflected in the integration of the Assembly of Zakoura with the Foundation for the popular Bank of microcredit in recent times under the name of the association "Zakoura popular" microcredit, and thus it places new challenges to the sector.

AL-Amana was established in February 13, 1997, with support from "USAID" and the "Hassan II Fund" and received a license by the Ministry of Finance March 31, 2000, one of the largest micro-credit institutions in Morocco, where there are 437 agency covering all the national territory, and financial products provided by the AL-AMANA and, in particular, the loan of solidarity and individual loan and private loans to housing provided by the non-financial services such as counseling, guidance and marketing service, through a special program in this regard so-called " Taswik (Marketing)" which was launched in 2008, and interesting help craftsmen to market their products and Secretariat aims to contribute to the social and economic development through the revitalization of small businesses as well as contributing to social integration through the expansion of financial services to the poor include low-income and create income-generating activities.


In terms of funding,AL-AMANA to borrow from banks with preferential interest rates / low (internal funding), as well as its funding depends on the support and help of international institutions and organizations, either governmental or non-governmental Kolokulp-American Development (external funding). AL-AMANA of the Group engaged in the regional networks and international organizations concerned to microfinance and microcredit, including: Arabic Network for Microfinance "SANABEL" Carnegie exchange market information "MIX" and the network of microfinance "MEN" Microfinance Network and other institutions ...
At the national level, the Secretariat is available until late last year (2008), to 490 thousand active customers, my neighbor loans totaling 2.78 billion dirhams, distributed on main sectors as follows:
- Trade: 39.47%
- Agriculture: 29.55%
- Handicraft: 17.14%
- Services: 13.84%
Preview messages and through the monthly AL-AMANA "AMANEWS" shows that the individual loans and loans for housing in a steady rise, compared with loans of solidarity, so check out the Assembly's strategy for the development of these types of loans in response to the growing phenomenon of non-fulfillment of the payment of loans, which became known to the sector in recent In this regard, the number of customers of individual loans end of 2008, 95 thousand beneficiaries, compared to 35 thousand beneficiaries in 2007.

AL-AMANA website , click here

Known microfinance sector in Morocco exceptional success, despite his youth, where the sector has flourished, especially after the financial support of the UN Development Program under the "PNUD" MicroStart microfinance, which was founded in February 1998, which has provided financial support amounting to U.S. $ 1,7 million, and USAID (1.6 million U.S. dollars), and in 2000 will the Hassan II Fund for economic development and social sector support financial cover $ 100 million dirhams, this support has enabled the development of associations and the development of number and value of loans granted.

And return the launch of this sector in Morocco to the mid-90, causing many of the NGOs in this field, we recall in particular the Moroccan Association for Solidarity and Development "AMSED" founded in 1993, the association ZaKoura microcredit in 1995, and association Al-Amana for the rehabilitation of small businesses, the Association of Local Development and Partnership in 1997 ... .
And that having a special legal framework microcredit (Law 97-18) (in light of April 1999), and the establishment of a number of institutions to contextualize the work of these organizations like the Council's Advisory micro-credit, and the National Federation of the Assembly of micro-credit "FNAM" contributed to the structuring and framing sector The total number of beneficiaries of micro-credit at the end of last year (2008) 1,250 million beneficiaries (), the total amount of approximately $ 5,8 billion dirhams, while the percentage of recovery of loans of the same year was 94% after 98% of the year 2007 ( ), and Morocco has 13 associations active in this field, 5 of which associations are a great (Al-AMANA, ZAKOURA, Association of Local Development and Partnership "FONDEP", Fondation Banque Populaire microcredit "FBPMC", and "ARDI"), which accounts for 95% of customers Microcredit in Morocco, and women constitute 64% of the total beneficiaries .

By Rachid AJMAL
Email: microfinanceblog@gmail.com.