Organisation

Agence Française de Développement
Organisation general information
Organisation name: 
Agence Française de Développement
Founding year: 
1942
Country: 
France
Total number of staff: 
1 500
Resources dedicated to microfinance: 
4
Percentage of microfinance activities: 
Between 0 and 20%
Type of organisation: 
Non profit
 
Government agency, French bilateral development agency
Organisation's contact person
Contact person: 
Christine Poursat
Address: 
5, rue Roland Barthes
F-75598
Paris, Cedex 12
France
Website:
Phone: 
+33 (1) 5344 3087
Fax: 
+33 (1) 5344 3733
Organisation summary
Mission: 

AFD has differentiated geographical mandates:

  • Growth and fight against poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Employment generation in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA region)
  • Support to environmentally sound and equality-based growth in Latin America and Asia

 

AFD will concentrate on its areas of expertise:

  • Rural and agricultural development
  • Infrastructure
  • Education and health in Sub-Sharan Africa
  • Climate and environment in emerging countries, and support to the private sector through its affliate PROPARCO

 

AFD will continue affirming itself as a centre of debates, intellectual production and projections. Finally, AFD will continue investing in the quality of its staff.

Type of intervention: 
  • Equity
  • Loans
  • Guarantees
  • Subsidies / donations in money
  • Subsidies in staff time (e.g. technical assistance/capacity building, evaluation)
  • Subsidies in staff time (e.g. research / information dissemination)
  • Subsidies in staff time (e.g. policy advice / development / lobby)
Countries of intervention: 
Africa
Asia
South America
Areas of intervention: 
  • Macro level: Prudential regulation, Supervision, Interest rates and rate caps, Client protection, Supporting networks and associations, Strengthening national/regional microfinance support sector, Capacity building (focused on all MFIs), Non-prudential regulation
  • Intermediate level: Rural finance, Microfinance investment vehicules, Post-conflict/disaster microfinance, Business development services, Social impact/performance, Environmental microfinance, Urban finance, Gender, Health
  • Micro level: Capital/equity investments, Financial product development and innovation, Energy products, or other products related to environmental issues, Delivery models (group, indiv.), Performance (financial and social), Ratings and external audits, Strategic planning, Marketing, Risk management, Management information systems
  • Other themes: Academic research, Impact and performances studies, Sector mapping, Evaluation
Main competences: 

We are particularly renowned for our capacity to support rural / agricultural microfinance, to intervene in post-conflict /crisis countries, to implement tailor-made projects thanks to our network of local agencies.

Please indicate any innovations in your microfinance program planned for the coming year: 

This year the main areas of intervention are:

  • Housing microfinance
  • Technology and product innovation
  • Post crisis support in countries like Ivory Coast, Mali and Tunisia.
Agence Française de Développement's picture