ABSTRACT
Microfinance has become an essential socio-economic and financial mechanism for reducing poverty, promoting entrepreneurial development and increasing the profile of women and the disadvantaged in numerous countries throughout the world, particularly over the last 30 years. Adopted by a variety of development institutions including governmental and nongovernmental organizations, microfinance serves to promote rural livelihoods by the creation of entrepreneurship opportunities that encourage the elimination of unemployment via fulfilment of creative potential among the poor (Yunus, 2001).
