Borrowing without a salary or contract in Burkina Faso
In Burkina Faso, a person without salaried employment almost never obtains a standard bank loan; the realistic routes are microcredit for an income-generating activity, a salaried co-borrower, public schemes grouped under FBDES Tõogo and collective savings.
Why banks require a regular income
Bank lending in Burkina Faso relies on the domiciliation of a salary or pension. Without a regular inflow to deduct from, the bank has no means of repayment, and there is no unemployment insurance to take over if a job is lost.
No unemployment benefit in Burkina Faso
CNSS covers retirement, occupational risks and family benefits, but pays no unemployment allowance. Jobseekers therefore live on family support or informal activities, which lenders take fully into account when they assess any loan application.
Informal activity as a basis for credit
Selling at the market, repairing phones or processing local products generates income that microfinance institutions are willing to assess. Microcredit for an income-generating activity is therefore the most common way in for people without a job.
Solidarity groups and guarantors
Joining a joint-liability group or presenting a salaried relative as guarantor helps make up for the lack of personal income. The guarantor then commits their own salary or savings, which must be clearly explained before anyone signs.
Public funds for youth employment
The former FAPE, FASI and FAIJ, followed by the Fonds Faso Kuna Wili, are now grouped within FBDES Tõogo. This public window funds projects by young people and women through calls and criteria that need to be followed closely.
ANPE and vocational training
The Agence nationale pour l'emploi supports jobseekers in their search and steers them towards training. A certified course in mechanics, tailoring or market gardening also strengthens the credibility of a financing application to a caisse.
Launching a Burkinabè business instead of borrowing to spend
A loan without income intended for consumption is rarely granted and remains dangerous for borrower and guarantor alike. A project registered at CEFORE with a simple plan falls instead under start-up business financing, with gradually increasing amounts.
Graduates waiting for a first job
Many young graduates in Ouagadougou or Koudougou are waiting for a civil service recruitment exam. Banks do not accept a loan based on future employment until the appointment order and the first pay slip are available.
Mobile money advances: be careful
Small advances through Orange Money or Moov Money may be available without a payslip. Their very short term and their fees, however, make repayment difficult when no money is expected to come in.
Internally displaced people
Families displaced by insecurity have often lost their land and livestock. Humanitarian programmes and NGOs provide cash transfers or activity kits, which are not loans but can help restart an income for the household.
Comparing with Côte d'Ivoire
In Côte d'Ivoire, public schemes for unemployed young people are organised differently. The page on loans without a job in Côte d'Ivoire presents the Ivorian agencies and funds, useful for Burkinabè who live there.
Rebuilding a credit history
Opening a savings account at a caisse populaire and paying in small sums regularly creates a track record. After a few months, this regularity makes it possible to request a first modest loan, recorded positively with Creditinfo VoLo.
Seeking finance without a salaried job in Burkina Faso
- Define a realistic income-generating activity, with a start-up budget and estimated takings.
- Open a savings account at a caisse populaire and deposit small sums regularly.
- Join a solidarity group or find a salaried guarantor willing to commit in writing.
- Ask FBDES Tõogo and ANPE about calls for projects currently open.
- Start with a small amount, repay without delay, then apply for a larger loan.
Costs of financing without a salary
| Source | Conditions | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Activity microcredit | Prior savings and a visible activity | Up to 24% a year, indicative |
| Bank loan with salaried guarantor | Guarantor's salary domiciled | Up to 14% a year, indicative |
| Public fund for young people | Call for projects and official criteria | Terms set by FBDES Tõogo |
| Mobile money advance | Small amount and very short term | Fees depend on the service |
What a lender asks of someone without a job
- Valid CNIB
- Certificate of residence
- Costed description of the planned activity
- Training or qualification certificate
- Guarantor's documents: CNIB, payslips and domiciliation
- Savings book or statement
Traps awaiting borrowers with no income
- Paying file fees to a fake lender who promises credit without proof of income, then vanishes with the money.
- Borrowing for consumer spending with no income expected, and falling into a spiral of successive small advances.
- Asking a relative to stand guarantor without explaining that they will have to repay in your place if things go wrong.
- Believing an intermediary who sells places on public fund financing lists in exchange for money.
Lenders to contact
- UBA Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso subsidiary of the pan-African United Bank for Africa group, a commercial bank providing accounts, banking services and financing to individuals and companies.
- Coris Bank International Burkina Faso: Burkinabe subsidiary of the Coris banking group, a commercial bank offering accounts, banking services and financing to individuals and businesses.
Out of work in Burkina Faso: can you borrow?
Can a bank lend to an unemployed person?
It is very rare without a domiciled income. The bank may accept a file with a salaried co-borrower or pledged savings covering the loan, but it will not grant credit on the strength of a mere promise of a job.
Does FBDES Tõogo fund unemployed young people?
The fund has taken over the tasks of several former funds supporting employment and entrepreneurship. Financing goes through officially published calls and criteria, and targets business projects rather than consumer needs.
Do you have to pay to obtain public financing?
No, public schemes never ask for a commission paid to a private intermediary. Anyone who demands money to guarantee that you will obtain FBDES Tõogo financing should be treated as a suspected fraudster.
Can a jobseeker open an account at a caisse populaire?
Yes, membership is open to any adult who shows an identity document and buys a share. The regular savings built up afterwards then serve as the basis for a first loan from the same caisse.