Development Exchange Center (DEC)

Name

Development Exchange Center (DEC)

Legal name

Development Exchange Centre (DEC)

Website

https://dexcentre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Microfinance and Community Development Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF)

Keywords

• Microfinance services
• Women empowerment programs
• Vocational skills training
• Adult literacy education
• Community development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bauchi

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices29 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Microfinance and Microcredit Services: DEC provides microcredit facilities to women groups, small entrepreneurs, and SMEs. Through its 'Save to Produce' ideology, DEC offers various savings products and loan facilities including micro loans, small enterprise loans, SME loans, on-lending, home asset loans, housing loans, and agricultural loans. Surpluses generated are reinvested into the social program to accommodate more beneficiaries rather than distributed as profits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Development Exchange Centre (DEC) is a non-governmental, non-for-profit, women-focused organization that delivers integrated development services in Nigeria. Its core offerings include microfinance and credit facilities (savings, micro loans, SME loans, agricultural loans, housing loans), functional adult education, vocational and entrepreneurial skills training, sexual and reproductive health education, water/sanitation/environment programs, democracy and governance programs, and livelihood and resilience programs. Services are delivered through 36 area offices and 130+ business units across 24 states and the FCT, primarily targeting women groups and underserved rural communities.

Product overview

Development Exchange Centre (DEC) is a non-governmental organization that offers an integrated suite of development services rather than a technology product platform. The organization provides six core service offerings: functional adult education using REFLECT-based curriculum, vocational skills development, microfinance and credit facilities (serving over 300,000 women), sexual and reproductive health education, water/sanitation/sustainable environment programs, and democracy/good governance programs. These services are delivered through 36 Area Offices across 24 states in Nigeria, targeting women groups and underserved communities. DEC operates as a social enterprise where surplus is reinvested into programs to accommodate more beneficiaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Microfinance and Credit Facilities
• Functional Adult Education Services
• Vocational Skills Development
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Education
• Water, Sanitation and Sustainable Environment Programs
• Democracy and Good Governance Programs
• Livelihood and Resilience Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300,000 women served through microfinance programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for human capacity building for female political party candidates in northeast Nigeria (2010-2011) and voter education and mobilization for 2015 elections in Adamawa state.
• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Creative Associates for Northern Education Initiative (NEI), Education Crisis Response (ECR), and Northern Education Initiative Plus (NEI+) providing non-formal education to displaced children and vulnerable populations in Bauchi and Sokoto states.
• Save the Children International (SCI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the STEER project (Systems Transformed for Empowered Actions and Enabling Responses) focusing on orphans and vulnerable children in 12 communities of Toro LGA, Bauchi state (2014-2018).
• Bread for the World (Brot fur die Welt)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnerships for social and political empowerment of women in northern Nigeria (84 communities across 7 states), socio-economic empowerment programs, and Small Scale Project Fund for CBOs supporting women and persons with disability.
• European Union (EU) / OxfammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTri-partite partnership for Pro-Resilience Action (PROACT) in Kebbi and Adamawa states, and PROSELL project in Taraba state focusing on livelihood and food security for vulnerable groups.
• Canadian Catholic Organization for Development & Peace (D&P)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for women empowerment and socio-economic empowerment of women in northern Nigeria.
• Creative AssociatesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for USAID-funded education initiatives including Northern Education Initiative, Education Crisis Response, and Northern Education Initiative Plus in Bauchi and Sokoto states.
• Adult and Non-Formal Education Agency (ANFEA), Bauchi StateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding partner in 1987 that conducted research highlighting ways women were disadvantaged in northern Nigeria, inspiring DEC's establishment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BRAC: Global development organization operating microfinance, education, health, and livelihoods programs at massive scale, including in West Africa. Comparable integrated model combining microfinance with multi-sectoral social programs for low-income women.
• Grameen Foundation: Global organization dedicated to alleviating poverty through microfinance and digital financial services for the poor, particularly women. Comparable in core microfinance-and-women mission though operating through partner MFIs rather than direct implementation.
• CARE International: Large international humanitarian and development organization with a strong women-empowerment focus, microfinance programming, and multi-sectoral interventions across Africa. Comparable as a women-focused development implementer with similar donor base and beneficiary model, though far larger and globally diversified.
• Mercy Corps Nigeria: International humanitarian NGO with active programming in northern Nigeria covering livelihoods, governance, and youth/women's economic empowerment. Overlapping program portfolio and northern-Nigeria geographic focus.

Emerging players

• Babban Gona: Nigerian agricultural social enterprise providing credit, training, and market access to smallholder farmer cooperatives. Comparable as a Nigerian organization blending microfinance with agricultural value-chain support for smallholders and women.

Regional players

• LAPO Microfinance Bank: Nigeria's largest microfinance institution, headquartered in southern Nigeria but operating nationally, providing microcredit to low-income women and small entrepreneurs. Comparable as a Nigerian microfinance provider focused on women borrowers, though commercial rather than NGO-led.
• FATE Foundation: Prominent Nigerian entrepreneurship development nonprofit providing business training, mentoring, and access to finance for SMEs and women entrepreneurs. Comparable as a Nigerian development-focused NGO with vocational and economic-empowerment programming.

Direct peers

• ActionAid Nigeria: Nigerian affiliate of ActionAid International, focusing on women's rights, governance, education, and livelihoods for women and rural communities. Directly comparable to DEC as a Nigerian NGO with overlapping women-empowerment and governance programming.
• Women for Women International: INGO dedicated specifically to the economic and social empowerment of marginalized women in conflict-affected countries, including Nigeria. Closely aligned with DEC's women-focused integrated service model combining vocational training, microfinance, and health education.
• Self Help Africa: International NGO focused on livelihoods, food security, and economic empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. Comparable as an implementer of integrated rural development with VSLA and cooperative models serving smallholder farmers and women.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYfFt7zhAETp8gnhCu_i53g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dexcentre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Development Exchange Center (DEC)