Blog

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs): Senegal country report

Posted on by MSC

MSMEs in Senegal contribute an estimated 40% to the GDP and are a major source of employment. Nine out of 10 workers are engaged in informal employment, with 97% of companies in the informal sector.

Still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, MSMEs need targeted support to build resilience, transform into formal entities, and continue to contribute to the local economy.

This study provides a detailed country-level view of the impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs and their coping strategies. It further provides recommendations for policymakers and financial service providers to support MSMEs in Senegal.

Click here to read the report in French.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Program Keluarga Harapan (PKH)

Posted on by MSC

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in April, 2020, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) took multiple measures to support the ailing economy. Its critical policy support measures involved the expansion of Program Keluarga Harapan (PKH), the flagship conditional cash transfer program implemented by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) to include new beneficiaries. GoI also increased the entitlement of beneficiaries under its social protection programs. This report is based on the study MSC conducted in coordination with MoSA to understand the impact of the pandemic on the implementation of PKH. It also highlights how beneficiaries coped with economic hardships, accessed their PKH funds, met their commitments under PKH, and accessed health facilities as the pandemic raged on.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CICO agents: Senegal country report

Posted on by MSC

Senegal has huge potential to expand and optimize its vast network of agents to achieve financial inclusion and bridge the digital divide. This study, sponsored by Mastercard Foundation, provides a country-level view of the impact of COVID-19 on CICO agents, their coping strategies, and recommendations for policymakers and FSPs to support them.

Click here to read the report in French.

GOOTCHA—A framework to build gender-sensitive ID systems

Posted on by MSC

We propose the GOOTCHA framework, which helps design gender-sensitive ID systems to help strengthen women’s agency. The framework draws on MSC’s extensive experience of working on gender-centrality projects across Asia and Africa. We presented the framework at the live summit hosted by ID4Africa on the 10th of March, 2021. You can download the presentation here and watch the recording of the event here

 

 

 

Working paper: A framework for building gender-sensitive identity systems

Posted on by MSC

The World Bank estimates that around a billion people across the globe lack a “legal identity.” The gender gap in terms of people’s access to official IDs is considerable in low-income countries, where one in two women do not have any official ID. This limits women’s financial, social, and political participation.

We attempt to look at the design and lifecycle of ID systems from gender and behavioral lenses and propose a framework to make ID systems more gender-sensitive. The framework draws on MSC’s experience of working on gender centrality projects across Asia and Africa.