to celebrate the eighth edition of the International Day of Savings (IDS), FPM in collaboration with the Central Bank of Congo (CBC) and the National Association of Microfinance Institutions (NAMFI) has covered 4 cities of the DRC namely Kinshasa, Kisangani, Lubumbashi and Bukavu.

  Press Conference for the International Saving Day in Lubumbashi

For two days, on October 30 and 31, 2018, under the theme “Saving in the DRC for my future, yes it is possible”, various activities were organized in the 4 cities, including press conferences, forums, motorized caravans, television shows etc. to promote the culture of saving and to encourage the population to save from formal financial institutions, as this is the main objective of the IDS.

In detail, these activities consisted of:

• Sensitizing the population on the culture of saving, in particular young schoolgirls;
• Sensitizing financial institutions and their customers on saving through two main themes selected: savings and mobile banking;
• Provide an opportunity for financial institutions to present their various financial products and services to the public with a view to improving the rate of financial inclusion and reducing the rate of delinquency for credit.

More than 100 participants per city attended these meetings, including heads of financial institutions as well as their clients, schoolchildren, support structures for MSMEs, some government officials such as the National Minister of Primary, Secondary and Professional Education (PSPE), the Governor of the Central Bank of Congo, provincial governors and their delegates, provincial ministers of primary, secondary and vocational education (PSPE), etc. The various forums led by FPM experts were accompanied by debates allowing participants to become more immersed in notions related to savings.

 International Savings Day event in Kinshasa

In Kinshasa, FPM, through its partners FINCA DRC and Equity Bank Congo, offered a savings account with a deposit of 50 USD, to a sample of 60 students from 12 schools in Kinshasa. This gesture aimed at initiating and encouraging the culture of saving among students who are the main target of the IDS and the future of the nation.