There is a market gap existing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) caught between microfinance and corporate banking. Exit Poverty Value Chain Finance program combines actors within the value chain itself and from external financial institutions to offers finance to market gap using innovative approach to value chain finance to serve both small-scale rural producers and the SMEs that link them to urban and export markets.
The program offers innovative application finance to tailored potential value chains in grassroots businesses – those small and medium enterprises that fall within the missing middle and rural finance gap. The program targets underserved market segment including; farmer and artisan cooperatives, and private businesses that lack access to financial services, It helps villagers form cooperatives, establishes enterprises in value chains, and uses social linkages to develop a viable value chains by investing in the ‘Missing Middle’
The program successfully piloted in rural Kenya, with further support, this model has the potential to be scaled through Kenya and to the 5 chapter Exit Poverty in Africa then through Africa. With our strategic partners comprise both not-for-profits and for-profits, we stand ready to work with others interested in developing, testing and advancing the program and we are seeking seeding funds to see through expansion of program to cover the 5 countries