Banking the Missing Middle

This book examines why small and medium-sized enterprises in Francophone West Africa remain central to employment, trade, and private-sector growth yet continue to face constrained access to formal bank credit. Drawing on original evidence from Burkina Faso and interpreting it within the common monetary and supervisory architecture of UMOA/WAEMU, the book argues that the SME financing gap cannot be explained by borrower weakness or generic banker caution alone. It is produced through the interaction of information asymmetry, risk assessment, collateral requirements, documentation burdens, branch geography, approval hierarchies, and the internal organization of bank lending. Combining academic analysis with banking-sector experience, the book develops a practical policy architecture for banks, regulators, development finance institutions, and SME support agencies seeking to widen productive credit without weakening prudential discipline.