Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Technical Assistance Facility

Results achieved by the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Technical Assistance Facility with the support of Canada and other international donors as of March 2014 include: 54 projects in five countries totalling US$ 29 M were approved and are operational. Two projects received World Bank Group awards: (1) the ENDA Inter-Arabe microfinance project in Tunisia for strong results on risk management and business strategy; and (2) the FATEN microfinance project in West Bank and Gaza for strong results in conflict affected countries. In 2013-2014: (1) four laws to improve the enabling environment for access to finance are on track; and (2) 1 218 small and medium enterprises (SME) and 347 180 micro loans for US$ 418 million were disbursed by partner financial institutions. Since the inception of the Facility: (1) 4 361 SME and 917 957 micro loans for US$ 1.1 billion were disbursed by partner financial institutions (52% of the recipients were women); and (2) US$ 1.3 billion in complementary lines of credit from the World Bank Group were mobilized to improve access to finance for MSMEs leading to job creation in the MENA Region. The TA Facility project helped to create 6 820 jobs in 2011; 38 753 jobs in 2012; and 119 840 jobs in 2013; for a total of 165 413 jobs. These are contributing to increasing employment opportunities for people in the Middle East and North Africa.