In 2019, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) wanted to explore how data driven decision-making and new dimensions of information could reduce the risk of lending to the youth segment – in particular those working in agriculture – providing alternatives for those who do not have traditional credit records. UNCDF has partnered with Dimagi and Baobab Sénégal to pilot an existing digital solution dedicated to the agriculture sector to reduce the information asymmetry between agri-cooperatives and financial service providers (FSPs) when it comes to lending decisions.

CommBanane is a joint platform funded by UNCDF, supported by the Last Mile Finance Trust Fund and developed by Dimagi, Inc. CommBanane has reached more than 472 smallholders active in the banana value chain in rural Senegal to track their business records and help them access specific credit products adapted to their needs.