Evaluation of the Swedish Development Cooperation Strategy, Colombia 2021-2025

The Sida – MiBanco Guarantee (2018 – 2023) aimed to mobilize private capital and expand access to finance for micro-enterprises in Colombia that face barriers to credit, especially among women, in rural areas and prioritized territories.

Main method: Mixed methods; a difference-in-difference study of effectiveness at the municipal level and an analysis of stakeholder interviews using a grounded theory approach.

Positives: the guarantee expanded access to credit in higher-risk contexts. There were statistically significant increases in both the total amount disbursed and the number of loans granted in municipalities covered by the guarantee compared to non-covered municipalities. The instrument facilitated the approval of loans that were less likely to be approved without Sida’s guarantee.

Potential shortcomings: The evaluation did not detect effects of the guarantee among Sida’s prioritized target groups (rural municipalities, targeted territories or women-owned businesses). Women’s share in the guaranteed portfolio did not exceed the bank’s overall portfolio, and no attributable effects were identified on the proportion of loans granted to women.

Sustainable use and management of the earth’s resources is a prerequisite for reduced poverty and sustainable societies – for current and for future generations. In 43 per cent of Sida’s support in 2025, efforts to combat the effects of climate change and improving the environment were a significant part in initiatives in different sectors and thematic areas.1 This included efforts to avoid and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to strengthen resilience to climate change, improve environmental sustainability, restore and sustainably manage natural resources and biodiversity, retain carbon sinks, halt desertification and support disaster risk reduction.