Impact assessment of microfinance programmes,including lessons from Khula Enterprise Finance

This article discusses approaches to impact assessment of microfinance programmes through a survey of empirical literature and findings of an impact study of Khula Enterprise Finance, a South African wholesale finance institution that facilitates access to financial services by small, medium and microenterprises. The article notes that impact assessment has now opened up to the needs of a mix of stakeholders and a wide range of purposes. There has been a shift from a donor-driven approach to a practitioner-led approach that emphasises learning and improving practice. Nevertheless, findings of an impact study of Khula Enterprise Finance, a characteristically donor-driven type of study, indicate a positive impact on the beneficiaries of microfinance, especially women in rural areas where they are specifically targeted. Furthermore, the impact study shows that lower-income communities in rural areas have benefited less than their not-so-poor counterparts in the urban areas, an observation that is consistent with findings in other studies.