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AbstractPurposeThis study looks at whether credit unions, a type of microfinance, increase or decrease poverty in Cameroon from 2004 Q1 to 2021 Q4.Method/designThe fully modified ordinary least square, dynamic ordinary least square, and conical co‐integration is applied.FindingsThe findings reveal a long‐term association between credit union measures and poverty levels. The results indicate that the number of credit unions, the number of commercial bank branches, and credit to the private sector negatively relate to poverty levels. This implies that as the number of credit unions increases, the poverty level increases as the credit unions tend to exploit the poor population. Outstanding deposits positively impact poverty levels, which imply that members' deposits alleviate poverty.Research implicationsThe government should refurbish the existing programs to enhance credit unions' activities to focus more on banking the poor population especially in remote areas. The credit unions should increase deposit mobilization from the public to empower individuals and businesses. The government should regulate the number of credit unions being created to limit exploitation. The government should intervene to ensure that credit unions' policy regarding lending, interest rates, and loan recovery procedures are mutually agreed upon by the parties.Originality/noveltyLimited studies used secondary data focusing on credit unions. The studies give conflicting results: Some studies reveal that microfinance banks positively affect poverty reduction. Some indicate negative effects of microfinance on poverty reduction. Others show that microfinance institutions do not significantly influence poverty reduction. Different opinions exist among depositors and borrowers of credit unions concerning poverty alleviation. Some credit union members hold that credit unions increase poverty, while others argue that credit unions alleviate poverty.

This article assesses the effectiveness of bilateral concessional debts on living standards in 29 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the period 1999-2017 using the system generalized method of moments (SGMM). The SGMM linear estimate is based on a two-step procedure, which controls for heteroscedasticity. The results provide evidence that bilateral concessional debts had positive and significant impact on living standards as proxied by the human development index (HDI) within the period. It is observed that 1% change in bilateral concessional debts is associated with about 8.4% improvement in living standards. Gross domestic savings are positively and significantly related to living standards and account for 3.1% increase in living standards. However, gross domestic investment and population growth exerted a negative influence on living standards during the period, whereas a 1% increase in gross domestic investment and population led to approximately 1.40% and 1.63% decline in living standards in the region, respectively. We therefore conclude that, although bilateral concessional debts have yielded the desired effect on living standards in the SSA, there is need for improvements in aid effectiveness. Thus, improved donor effort and collaboration with beneficiary governments in determining development needs and priorities in the region is critical.