Influence of Microfinance Factors on Poverty Reduction among Youths in Tanzania: A Case Study of Kyerwa District
Abstract
This paper examines the influence of microfinance factors on poverty reduction among youth in Kyerwa District, Tanzania. The specific objectives were to assess the services youth receive from microfinance institutions (MFIs), analyse changes in income and monetary values of asset ownership before and after accessing the services, and determine the influence of microfinance factors on the changes. A sample of 150 youth was selected using purposive and stratified sampling, and primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistics software for descriptive and inferential statistics. For the latter, multiple linear regression was run. It was found that 92.6% of the respondents had accessed financial and non-financial microfinance services; 86.0% of them had received savings services, and 92.8% of them had received business development, training and capacity building services. The mean increases in incomes and monetary value of assets owned were TZS 3,290,787.00 and TZS 3,515,367.00, respectively. Based on multiple linear regression results, the amount of loan received had a positive influence on changes in both income (β = 1,280,334.689; p = 0.594) and monetary values of assets (β = 2,386,638.904; p = 0.001). Moreover, having business development services also had a positive influence on changes in both income (β = 3,630,612.87; p = 0.393) and monetary values of assets (β = 1,888,063.687; p = 0.154). Moreover, the study employed two Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The KIIs were conducted with microfinance officers, while the FGDs involved 24 youth participants (8 in each group) from different wards. The KIIs used semi-structured guides to capture expert perspectives on microfinance service delivery and youth challenges. The FGDs explored lived experiences, challenges before and after microfinance access, and perceptions on service effectiveness. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed enhanced self-employment, improved decision-making, and empowerment through training, as well as obstacles like high interest rates, limited mentorship, and short loan repayment periods. These findings suggest that, while loans are effective for poverty reduction, business development services to loan recipients are also important. Microfinance institutions issuing loans to youth should also offer them non-financial services, particularly business development, training, and market linkages, if the youth are to reduce poverty effectively. Youth organisations and community groups should actively engage with MFIs to identify youth-specific needs and promote service awareness, fostering greater participation.
Downloads
References
Bailey, D., & Kurland, N. B. (2002). A typology of virtual communities: Implications for organizational and global management. Organization Studies, 23(4), 467–493. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840602234004
Banerjee, A., Duflo, E., Glennerster, R., & Kinnan, C. (2015). The miracle of microfinance? Evidence from a randomized evaluation. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 7(1), 22–53. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20130533
Chipindula, H., & Mwanga, R. S. (2015). Youth empowerment through microfinance: Evidence from Tanzania. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 3(3), 1–14.
Duvendack, M., Palmer-Jones, R., Copestake, J. G., Hooper, L., Loke, Y., & Rao, N. (2011). What is the evidence of the impact of microfinance on the well-being of poor people? EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London.
Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd, London.
Haji, J. A. (2015). Access to and utilization of microfinance services in Tanzania: The case of the rural population in Kyerwa District [Unpublished dissertation]. University of Dodoma.
Hermes, N., & Lensink, R. (2011). Microfinance: Its impact, outreach, and sustainability. World Development, 39(6), 875– 881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.10.021
Imai, K. S., Arun, T., & Annim, S. K. (2012). Microfinance and household poverty reduction: New evidence from India. World Development, 40(10), 2065– 2079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2012.05.007
Jackson, T., & Layda, M. (2016). Microfinance institutions and economic growth in Tanzania. Economic and Social Research Foundation.
Kassim, M. (2018). The role of microfinance institutions in empowering youth entrepreneurs in Tanzania: A case of Tabora region. Tanzania Journal of Development Studies, 18(1), 77–95.
Ledgerwood, J. (2013). The new microfinance handbook: A financial market system perspective. World Bank Publications. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-8927-0
Makorere, R. (2014). The role of microfinance in promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Tanzania: Empirical evidence from SMEs holder who have received microcredit from financial institutions in Morogoro, Tanzania. Global Business and Economics Research Journal, 3(1), 1–19.
Massele, J., Rutashobya, L., & Olomi, D. (2015). The role of microfinance in poverty reduction in Tanzania: Empirical evidence from small entrepreneurs. Journal of African Business, 16(3), 351– 365. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228916.2015.1061406
Morduch, J. (1999). The microfinance promise. Journal of Economic Literature, 37(4), 1569–1614. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.37.4.1569
Morduch, J., & Haley, B. (2002). Analysis of the effects of microfinance on poverty reduction (NYU Wagner Working Paper No. 1014). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1819073
Mrindoko, S., Ndyetabula, D., & Mung’ong’o, A. (2022). Microfinance access and youth employment in Tanzania: Evidence from Mwanza and Mbeya. The African Review, 49(2), 30–50.
Msigwa, R. E. (2013). Determinants of youth unemployment in Tanzania. International Journal of Economics and Research, 4(3), 57–67.
Msumba, I. A., Magoma, G. C., & Mwakalobo, A. B. (2013). Youth livelihood and microfinance: Empowering youth to create jobs in Tanzania. REPOA Research Report 13/2.
NBS (National Bureau of Statistics). (2022). Tanzania Youth Labour Force Survey Report 2021/2022. Dodoma: NBS.
Ozili, P.K. (2023). The Acceptable R-Square in Empirical Modelling for Social Sciences Research. In: Advance in Knowledge Acquisition, Transfer and Management, IGI Global, 134-143. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6859-3.ch009
Rahman, M. W., Luo, J., & Hafeez, M. (2017). Role of microcredit in the development of rural women: Evidence from South Asia. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 11(3), 268–278. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJIE-12-2016-0074
Rashid, A., Muktar, S., & Ahmed, E. (2019). Microfinance and poverty alleviation: Empirical evidence from rural Pakistan. The Pakistan Development Review, 58(3), 357–379.
Simeyo, O., Gichana, I., & Nyambega, A. (2011). Effect of provision of microfinance on the performance of micro-enterprises: A study of youth micro-enterprises under Kenya Rural Enterprise Program (K-REP) Kisii County, Kenya. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(17), 101–110.
Spithoven, A. (2020). Financial inclusion and the future of microfinance: From regulation to digital innovation. Journal of Economic Issues, 54(2), 362– 370. https://doi.org/10.1080/00213624.2020.1745014
Copyright (c) 2025 Kim Abel Kayunze, PhD, Halima Omary Mangi, PhD, George Minja

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.