IBEX Archives

IBEX Trains Bankers, Entrepreneurs on Agribusiness

Monrovia – Liberia’s agriculture sector is a potential source of the largest employment for Liberians but is yet to experience any significant growth. The low level of commercial banks’ involvement in the sector is partly responsible for the prevailing situation. The banks seem reluctant to lend to smallholder farmers and agribusinesses because they consider agriculture as a high-risk sector.

However, there are ongoing efforts to change the situation for the better. A new signed agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Afriland First Bank aims to increase agricultural lending through an enhanced relationship and capacity that will help provide for working capital for operations, inputs, or equipment to smallholder farmers.

As part of the process, on February 16 and 17, USAID Liberia-Investing for Business Expansion (IBEX) Program held an agribusiness lending training for more than 20 bankers and more than 45 local entrepreneurs including farmers in Monrovia and other parts of the country. The training increased bank staffs’ knowledge and broadened their understanding of agribusiness lending, proper client appraisals and deal structuring. The participants also learned more about the loan processes and requirements for borrowers.

The event was organized by IBEX and facilitated by United States-based Volunteer Executive (VE), Allyn Lamb. All nine commercial banks in Liberia were represented by their risk managers, relationship, and credit officers. Topics covered were Business Plans, Agricultural Risk Management, Understanding the Market Opportunities, Value Chain Financing, Basic Farm Record Keeping, Risk Rating, Evaluating Loan Requests, and Problem Solving.

Archie Hanky, a staff in the Liberia Bank for Development & Investment’s Credit Appraisal and Development Lending Department, observed that agribusiness lending is a new phenomenon and banks do not want to risk lending to agriculture clients. ‘Smallholder farmers are a significant part of the Liberian economy and should be given increased access to credit to be able to grow and expand their businesses,’ Usurf Barh, Credit Manager at Afriland First Bank, added. Mai Cole, Risk Analyst at United Bank for Africa, described the training as insightful.

‘The new knowledge and skills acquired from this training would now enable me to properly appraise agricultural SMEs, Mai said. The participants named difficulties in production, distribution, transportation, poor road network, storage facilities, post-harvest handling and funding as some of their key challenges.

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This news release is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was originally posted on FrontPageAfrica. The contents are the sole responsibility of IESC and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

March 1, 2016/actualize studio

Two IESC Field-Based Staff Members Earn University Degrees

Gender, Liberia, Youth

Jackie Howard (left) and Caroline Flowers (right) pose with their BBA diplomas.

In 2012, Caroline Flowers and Jackie Howard spotted a flyer at their university’a flyer that would shape the next three years of their college experience and beyond. It was a flyer was soliciting interns for IESC’s USAID-funded Investing for Business Expansion Program (IBEX), which provides business loan facilitation and technical assistance and capacity building to local business and commercial bank staff.

IBEX’s internship program aims to provide mentoring and training to college and university students, in hopes of preparing them for future employment. ‘When I first heard about the IBEX mentorship and career development program on my campus, I immediately applied, believing that I would learn and one day become a professional person after my graduation,’ Caroline said. Before long, IESC hired both Caroline and Jackie, and since May of 2013, they have been supporting the IBEX program’first as interns, and later, after demonstrating their dedication and diligence, as full-time employees.

Both women indicated that they learned a great deal from their IBEX internship experiences about what it means to work in a professional environment. ‘Being a member of the IBEX team is one of the greatest opportunities for me as a student to develop professionally,’ Caroline said. And according to Jackie, ‘[The] IBEX Program. . .gives college and university students the opportunity to learn basic office procedures and professional etiquette that prepare them for the competitive job market.’

On Friday, November 27, Caroline Flowers and Jackie Howard, along with 400 of their colleagues, proudly crossed the stage at Stella Maris Polytechnic’s graduation ceremony. Both walked away with bachelor of business administration (BBA) degrees in hand, Caroline’s in management, and Jackie’s in accounting.

Caroline and Jackie have expressed their gratitude to the entire IBEX team’both in Liberia and Washington, DC’offering special thanks to Watchen Bruce, who leads the IBEX program, and her deputy, Augustus Flomo, for their ongoing mentorship.

For Caroline and Jackie, November’s graduation doesn’t signal the end of their academic pursuits’they’re aiming higher. Caroline hopes to pursue a master’s degree in financial management, while Jackie plans to pursue a master’s degree in banking and finance.

This story is made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of IESC and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

February 24, 2016/actualize studio

In Liberia, Locally-Produced Furniture Gets a Financial Boost

Liberia

Emmanuel Wesley, owner of Zeo Furniture Construction, will use his loan to add a showroom to feature his custom-made doors and furniture.

Emmanuel Wesley Sr. is determined to dispel the long-held notion that Liberia doesn’t produce good quality home and office furniture. Wesley is owner and chief executive officer of Zeo Furniture Construction Company in Paynesville, outside Liberia’s capital of Monrovia. He is confident in the quality of his product, and his goal is for Zeo to produce a large volume of excellent furniture that competes with imported furniture.

But Wesley has faced a significant obstacle in meeting his goal: lack of financing options and access to commercial credit. Liberia has one of the most complex loan application processes in Africa, and Wesley struggled to understand the process and requirements.

Through a routine outreach campaign, Wesley learned about the USAID-funded Investing for Business Expansion Program, which IESC implements. The program provides services to financial institutions and small and medium businesses to increase access to finance, grow businesses, and expand the economy. He immediately established a relationship with the program.

Wesley had previously applied for a business loan, and IBEX reviewed his loan application package and provided additional recommendations. For example, Wesley did not have a bank account and therefore had no longstanding relationship with the bank. IBEX recommended that he open one, and after several months of preparations that included cash flow and risk analyses, he was finally approved for a $40,000 loan.

‘At some point during the loan process I felt frustrated and almost gave up, but through the help of the program and relationship built with the bank, things started to become smoother.”

He plans to use the loan to buy raw materials to produce high quality furniture products that will meet international standards and needs of the local market. Zeo currently has 25 employees and with the capital to expand the business, Wesley plans to hire more workers in the future.

This story is made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of IESC and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

February 17, 2016/actualize studio

With Access to Credit, Liberian Manufacturer Meets Farmers’ Demand for Agricultural Machinery

Liberia

Benedict Sampson, CEO of Moonlight, standing beside one of their many agro machines.

From his garage under a shade tree in the central Liberian town Gbarnga, Benedict Sampson applied for another loan, a loan he didn’t get because he couldn’t afford the bank’s repayment terms.

Sampson is chief executive officer at Moonlight Metal Works and Garage. His business specializes in agricultural equipment and tools, demand for these products is high among his farming customers.

Sampson had received a business loan before, in fact, he was the first to receive a loan backed by the Development Credit Authority (DCA), a program that puts credit in the hands of entrepreneurs around the world by guaranteeing a portion of the loan.

Sampson needed another loan to buy equipment and upgrade his services to meet customer demand, but he was getting frustrated with the complicated loan process.

Then Sampson got connected with USAID’s Investing for Business Expansion Program (IBEX), which works with both banks and borrowers to increase access to finance for small and medium businesses in Liberia.

‘We were lucky to come across IBEX,’ Sampson said. ‘They helped us put together our loan package with a comprehensive business plan and advised us [where] to take our loan package.’

The company’s DCA-backed loan application was successful, and now Moonlight is selling advanced agricultural machinery, including motorized rice and cassava mills that sell between $850 and $3,000.

Sampson is currently working with IBEX on a new loan to stock a retail store in the capital city of Monrovia, which will save people time and resources having to travel to Gbarnga for high quality agricultural equipment.

Today, Sampson has office space and 18 employees who are earning good wages. He believes with continued support, his dream of owning a steel factory one day will become a reality. ‘I want IBEX to be in Liberia for a long time,’ Sampson said.

To date, the IBEX program has facilitated loans to 33 other businesses like Moonlight, totaling $7.5 million dollars.

This story is made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of IESC and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

February 11, 2016/actualize studio

Connecting Liberian Farmers with Credit

Liberia


	From left: Hamadou Bayo (Afriland), Watchen Bruce (IBEX Program), and Anthony Chan (USAID).

MONROVIA ‘ In a signing ceremony on Tuesday, October 13, at the Mamba Point Hotel, representatives from the USAID mission in Liberia and Afriland First Bank Liberia signed a risk-sharing agreement between the bank and USAID’s Development Credit Authority (DCA). The agreement is designed to increase agricultural lending in Liberia.

In his brief remarks, USAID Liberia’s mission director, Anthony Chan, highlighted the aid agency’s commitment to working with Liberia’s micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises to grow the Liberian economy. He hoped the new partnership with Afriland First Bank would complement other USAID-sponsored programs focused on private sector growth and expanding employment opportunities.

Read the rest of this story on the main IESC website.

November 2, 2015/actualize studio

IBEX Program to Receive 2014 Golden Image Award

Liberia

IESC is proud to announce that on July 16, the IBEX program will be awarded the 2014 Golden Image Award. The Golden Image Award is a national Liberian meritorious award bestowed to individuals or organizations that have made selfless contributions to peace and humanity nationally or internationally. The giving of the award is part of a series of national activities leading up to Liberia’s Independence Day on July 26. The ceremony will take place at Monrovia City Hall and will feature the vice president of Liberia Hon. Joseph N. Boakai as the keynote speaker. Please see this award letter for more information.

July 14, 2014/actualize studio

US Deputy Secretary of State Visits IBEX Program

Liberia

On June 19, the United States Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom visited the Liberia-IBEX Program. She met with IBEX staff and beneficiaries including 10 Liberian women entrepreneurs. The beneficiaries highlighted the services that IBEX provides and thanked USAID for its continued support of the program. Towards the end of the visit Ms. Higginbottom made note of the growing attention Africa is receiving from the international community. “A big team is investing in Africa. And a big component of it is how we really move forward on our initiatives, such as Power Africa, drive forward development and increase investment in various places,” she said. Read more…

July 3, 2014/actualize studio

IBEX Launch Event

Liberia

IBEX Partner Banks Signing the New Agreements

On March 14, 2014 the IBEX Program signed new agreements with its partners Ecobank and IB Bank expanding their cooperation to 5 additional sectors: transportation, hospitality, construction, general merchandise, and infrastructure. Previously, the program’s scope of work was limited to the renewable energy and agricultural sectors. USAID Liberia Mission Director John Winfield attended the signing, and spoke on the need for increased access to credit for Liberian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Also in attendance were leading members of the Liberian business community.

April 1, 2014/actualize studio

IBEX Helps Liberian Farmers Secure Loans

Liberia

Monrovia – Since the government of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf came to power, many small and medium businesses have benefited from micro financing loans to increase their business enterprises, with less attention paid to agriculture business groups.

Recently, IESC under a USAID program, Liberia Investing for Business Expansion (IBEX) formulated a way to help informal farming groups acquire loans from banks to invest. IESC/IBEX in collaboration with one of its partners Opportunities Industrialization Centers International (OICI), work as technical advisers to the banks and agriculture sectors to build capacity.

Mrs. Watchen H. Bruce, IESC’s Chief of Party explained that the group is instrumental in helping the banking sectors build their capacity on how to lend to people in the agriculture and renewable sectors.’We also work with people in the agro-business, including farmers, Agro-processors, people selling equipment to farmers. We help them to access finance,” Bruce said. “We do assessment if the need be, we provide technical existence to small and medium businesses to help them package their loans and process for applying for loans. So far we have submitted eight projects to the banks and out of the eight, we have one approved and closed.’

Bruce also said they are currently working with handicap groups in Bong and Nimba counties who are involved in cash crops, planting and producing to resell. ‘They have physical disabilities but they are not limited by their disabilities. As a matter of fact, the president of that group is in a wheel chair and he comes to my office which is on fourth floor.” According to Bruce, the bottom line is that the disable people want to help themselves and not be seen as limited because of their physical limitations.

Mr. Michael Wotorson, OICI Technical Advisor, said that for a very long time in Liberia, banks have not taken interest in investing in agriculture therefore their partners IESC /IBEX are helping farming groups to get loans from the banks. ‘We are getting ready to take our partners to three women’s groups in Grand Gedeh. Our idea is to get these group recognized legally and thereafter IESC can take them and get them properly packaged and directed to the banks,” Wotorson said. “If the banks can give these people loans, their transformation would be incredible, because you would have poor rural women benefiting from a huge loan to invest more.

March 10, 2014/actualize studio

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