As Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Microfinance, I am very pleased to open a timely discussion around this crucial subject. Whilst Europe and the US are in the grip of financial recession, seven of the world’s top ten fastest-growing economies are in Africa. But, amidst this picture of economic dynamism, poverty and inequality remain high. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a striking example: it is one of the top ten, but, at the same time, ranks at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index. How, then, can economic growth lead to sustainable development and better benefit poor people? Aid and foreign direct investment remain important for less developed countries, but growth at the national level is key to boosting spending on basic services and creating jobs. One way to achieve this, as noted by the Africa Progress Report1, is to give higher priority to facilitating domestic savings.