Map a Savings and Credit Programme for Market Women in Onitsha

Onitsha Main Market is one of the largest trading markets in West Africa, with hundreds of thousands of traders, a significant majority of whom are women selling goods ranging from textiles to electronics and foodstuffs. Most of these traders are already members of informal rotating savings groups, known as 'ajo' or 'esusu', because formal financial institutions have not designed products that fit how they earn, spend, and plan. Microfinance banks operating in Anambra State have been criticised for high interest rates, rigid repayment schedules that ignore trading cycles, and loan officers who do not speak to traders in their own context. At the same time, mobile money penetration is rising, Opay and Palmpay agents are present in the market, and a new cohort of fintech-adjacent social enterprises is looking for distribution partners. Your task is to design a savings and credit product that a social enterprise or cooperative could offer to female traders in Onitsha. Produce a product strategy document (four to six pages) covering the target customer segment, core product features, pricing rationale, distribution model, and the key risks. Complement it with a user journey map showing a trader's experience from first awareness through to loan repayment. Good work will be grounded in the specifics of Onitsha's trading cycles, the role of market associations as trust infrastructure, and the real costs of capital in the Nigerian microfinance market. Avoid designing a product that already exists. The best submissions will identify a genuine gap and explain what would make this product defensible.