Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Computerized Management System for Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46610/JBADV.2026.v07i02.004Keywords:
Digital transformation, Financial inclusion, Financial management system, Intelligent decision-support system, Village savings and loan associationsAbstract
Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) promote financial inclusion in rural communities but face inefficiencies due to manual, paper-based management processes that limit timely, evidence-based decision-making. This study presents the design and implementation of an intelligent computerized decision-support system to manage VSLA financial operations. A qualitative approach was used, based on semi-structured interviews with 10 VSLA managers from Bukavu city, DRC, to identify current management practices, challenges, functional requirements and technological constraints. Collected data were analyzed through thematic coding to derive and structure system requirements. From a technical perspective, the UP7 modelling method guided iterative development through four phases (inception, elaboration, construction and transition), while UML diagrams (use case, class, sequence and activity) informed system design. A modular web-based MVC architecture was implemented using PHP (Laravel), MySQL and a responsive frontend. The proposed system goes beyond basic automation by embedding intelligent decision-support mechanisms. It integrates rule-based processing and automated decision-making (including automatic loan status updates and validation of savings and withdrawal operations), continuous aggregation of transactions into dashboards and financial reports, and detailed audit logs for traceability. The implemented modules cover member and group management, savings tracking, deposit and withdrawal management, loan distribution and monitoring, repayment management, financial cycle configuration, reporting and analytics, and secure authentication. Together, these features improve transparency, accuracy and responsiveness in VSLA financial management and provide data-driven insights that distinguish the system from a traditional Management Information System.
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