Case Study: Feed the Future Access to Finance in Northern Kenya
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Authored by Paul Newall, Senior Technical Director of Partnerships & Investment at ACDI/VOCA
This case study by ACDI/VOCA explores the progression of USAID's access to finance work in Northern Kenya since 2012. It highlights the transformation that has occurred in the region's financial sector and subsequent growth and impact among micro, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The report assesses how USAID-funded Feed the Future Kenya activities implemented by ACDI/VOCA — Resilience and Economic Growth in Arid Lands-Accelerated Growth (REGAL-AG), Livestock Market Systems (LMS) Activity, Resilience Learning Activity (RLA), and USAID Kuza — have supported developing Northern Kenya’s financial sector with activities that have moved along the investment spectrum, from humanitarian assistance to impact investing.
Beginning with an investment in 2012 to build a livestock market in a Northern Kenya county, all the USAID-funded activities harnessed the experiences and challenges of the previous activity, spurring growth, and transforming communities in the northern region.