State of Practice: Savings Groups and the Role of Government in Sub-Saharan Africa

This state of practice report identifies and describes 74 government initiatives in the Savings Group sector across 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa – related to financial inclusion, social protection, women’s empowerment, and sector regulation and coordination.

The purpose of the report is to support the further development of public policy and programming related to Savings Groups in the region, and to serve as a resource for diverse sector stakeholders – including funders, non-governmental organizations, and financial service providers – to more effectively engage governments in the region around identified priorities and opportunities.

The government representatives surveyed in this report conclude that national governments can contribute to the scale, impact and sustainability of the Savings Group sector by:

• Creating an enabling environment.
• Improving sector coordination.
• Collecting more and better data and evidence.
• Facilitating access to formal financial services.
• Prioritizing Savings Groups within government interventions.