Welcome to CGEE Mfi

CENTRE FOR GRASSROOTS ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT   CGEE  started as a savings and credit scheme under Justice, Development and Peace commission (JDPC) of Ijebu-Ode Catholic Diocese in1994. It was then meant to supplement the empowerment programs of JDPC through poverty alleviation among farmers and women in Ijebu and Remo lands of Ogun state. The programme sought to establish a social foundation for reducing poverty among the people of the state in general. Its activities have been most pronounced in the area of soft loans, business skill education and market strategy enlightenment.

In order to enhance the outreach at the grassroots, the Micro Start programme was introduced in 2000 to consolidate and strengthen the savings and credit scheme with the technical assistance of Association for Social Advancement (ASA) supported by the United Nations Development Programme in Nigeria (UNDP). The combination of these efforts and partnership culminated in the birth of CGEE as a financial institution to serve a wider public within Nigeria as well as build the capacity of other financial institutions at the service of the grassroots without any distinction of race, culture or religion. Credit to the poorest is the passion and goal of CGEE microfinance.

The programme focuses on assisting small-scale farmers and resource poor women, thus financially empowering the civil society for enhanced livelihood and capacity to participate in community development. The micro-start strives at improving the living standard of families in the various human ramifications including increased income, food security as well as addressing other factors that could impede people’s growth and wellbeing.

The programme holds meetings, counseling sessions and seminars with group members and their executives at branch levels. These forums are also strategies for receiving feedbacks on the service offered, sieving the opinion of programme beneficiaries, discovering issues pertaining to group problems and redressing them as part of strategic and learning action. The branches and the apex group executives serve as major stakeholders in the identification of solutions at subsequent resolution of arising issues.

The CGEE microfinance was duly registered with CAC in April as Centre for Grassroots Economic Empowerment to enhance her mandate of covering the south West of the Nation as a regional training Centre appointed by the UNDP and the Central Bank of Nigeria, being one of three major breakthrough microfinance institutions in Nigeria.

CGEE offers alternatives to traditional financial services accessible to the poor. It introduces new innovations in the domain by extending its services to all without discrimination with lower interest rate and without the traditional collateral. Invariably, accessible credit facilities are provided to the poorest who have no access to commercial or/and co-operative society.