Loan officers at microfinance institutions in Accra field a constant stream of basic questions — eligibility requirements, required documents, current interest rates, repayment schedule options — that don't require an officer's judgment but currently only get answered by calling or visiting a branch.
An AI chatbot trained on the institution's actual products and terms can answer these instantly through WhatsApp or the website, walking a prospective borrower through basic eligibility before they ever need to speak with a loan officer.
For existing customers, the same chatbot handles repayment status checks and due date reminders — routine account questions that otherwise mean a call or branch visit for information the system already has.
Anything touching an actual credit decision or loan approval needs to stay firmly with a human underwriter — the chatbot's role is information and initial eligibility screening, never the final lending decision, both for regulatory reasons and because that judgment genuinely requires a person.