During his visit to Paris on May 14th, 2024, Muhammad Yunus, Foundation Board Membre and Chairman of the Grameen Trust, was welcomed by Véronique Faujour, Managing Director of the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation to discuss financial inclusion and social entrepreneurship.
Muhammad Yunus recalled the food crisis that hit Bangladesh in the 1970s. He explained how small loans to villagers near the university where he taught laid the foundations for micro-finance. He stressed the importance of targeting women, who are often excluded from traditional financial systems but have strong entrepreneurial skills.
In the current context of economic disparities and environmental challenges, Yunus presented his economic model based on three objectives: zero poverty, zero unemployment, and zero net carbon emissions.
He also spoke about the NOBIN program, which finances entrepreneurship among women and young people. This program, which has proved its worth in Bangladesh, is supported by the Foundation in Senegal. It aims to enable women to access financial services to launch and develop their businesses, thus integrating the formal economy.