Financial Sector Deepening Program - Phase I

The program aims to strengthen the pro-poor financial sector in Tanzania. It is designed to improve the policy institutional legal and regulatory framework for financial services; to provide more and better financial services available to meet the needs of micro small and medium-sized entreprises and poor households; and to provide enhanced business services for microfinance institutions. Currently access to financial services including micro-credit is vastly inadequate and this program is contributing to significantly increasing the number of people that are served by some form of financial institution. The program involves Canadian international and local technical assistance to strengthen the network of Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations and other micro-finance institutions throughout the country. Canada and other donors jointly provide support to this program.