A Critical Assessment of Anti-poverty and Gender Equality Policies and Micro-finance Programs in Eritrea

This study reviews the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (I-PRSP) and the Food Security Strategy (FSS) of 2004 of the State of Eritrea. It also analyses the way selected Eritrean microfinance institutions assess their impact. It examines the assumptions, intentions and outcomes of anti-poverty policies such as the I-PRSP in which the Microfinance is one program and the viability of this strategy as development interventions for gender equality in Eritrea. The aim is to understand how success or failure of the anti-poverty interventions such as microfinance programs is measured and what lessons can be learned by analyzing the methods of assessment and the outcomes of microfinance programs through a gendered poverty lense. Using secondary data the study argues that a context based assessment is important and crucial for the adaptation of any anti-poverty or development intervention. Relevance to Development Studies The Research Paper is relevant to Development studies for it tries to address a gap in the literature of Eritrea on the effectiveness of microfinance as an antipoverty and gender equality strategy. It examines the assumptions in conceptualizing and measuring poverty and intended outcomes of broader anti-poverty policies in the PRSP, FSS and provides a critical assessment of selected MFIs in Eriterea.