Bale: The Association of Women in the Mining Sector of Burkina Faso (AFEMIB) conducted an awareness-raising, training, and establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) in Bagassi from January 9 to 10, 2026, for the benefit of the YIBASSAN and SANUSSAN women's and youth cooperatives of Bagassi. This support from AFEMIB aims to guarantee the long-term financial viability of these cooperative structures and to secure the savings and income of their members.
According to Burkina Information Agency, According to AFEMIB program officer Edouard Kambire, the mission consisted of supporting the YIBASSAN and SANUSSAN cooperatives in setting up a solidarity savings and credit mechanism allowing members to mobilize financial resources endogenously to support their activities. "The objective is to install the AVEC approach within the cooperative in order to allow the members of these cooperatives to mobilize funds through solidarity savings and to finance their economic activities," he explained.
Specifically, the activity focused on training members in the use of AVEC kits, which included three-lock cash boxes, individual savings books, ledgers, calculators, and other management tools. Participants were also assisted in developing and adopting their internal regulations. "We trained members, provided kits, and supported cooperatives in effectively adopting the mechanism," Mr. Kambire explained, expressing his satisfaction with the members' active participation and commitment.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Xavier Kourita, president of the SANUSSAN cooperative, praised the support provided by AFEMIB, which has been ongoing for over a year. 'AFEMIB has been supporting us for several months through awareness sessions. This training on solidarity savings and credit has allowed us to understand how to save together and grant each other loans, according to our own means,' he stated.
Operating in the artisanal mining and shea nut processing sectors, these cooperatives face difficulties accessing traditional financing. For Mr. Kourita, the AVEC approach represents a suitable alternative. 'Access to financing is often complicated. Thanks to this approach, we can now grant ourselves internal loans at more affordable rates than those offered by banks,' he said. He also indicated that the members had consensually defined the operating rules, including a 5% interest rate, a three-month repayment period, and penalties for late payments or failure to meet commitments.
"With the kits received and the knowledge acquired, each member will be able to save and borrow to support their activities," he added, while thanking AFEMIB for its support. Looking ahead, AFEMIB plans quarterly follow-up visits to assess the effective implementation of the AVEC approach and to support cooperatives in the sustainable management of savings.
As a reminder, this support for women and youth in communities living near mining and artisanal mining sites was initiated following a diagnostic study by AFEMIB, which concluded that these communities face significant structural socio-economic challenges, particularly limited access to formal financial services. To address these challenges, the capacity-building program initiated by AFEMIB and PARGFM led to the creation of 20 cooperatives in 2024. These cooperatives are designed to organize and structure income-generating activities (IGAs) within these communities.
In order to guarantee the long-term financial viability of these cooperative structures and to secure the savings and income of their members, the establishment of Village Savings and Credit Associations (VSLAs) has proven to be a key lever.