Download or read book Promoting Financial Inclusion for Inclusive Growth in Africa written by Chijioke Kennedy Oji and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Financial inclusion is central to economic empowerment in rural communities, as it forms the foundation for the sustainable economic development of the less privileged in society. By engaging in economic activities where goods and services are traded for cash, people become part of economic clusters. The amalgamation of economic clusters has an impact on the growth of local economic systems, resulting in sustained development. Thus, in order for sustained socio-economic development to occur, people should be encouraged to engage in more economic activities where financial transactions take place. To do this, people often need to have bank accounts at formal financial institutions. However, studies have shown that there are numerous barriers preventing especially the rural poor from entering the formal financial system. Some of these barriers include strict 'Know Your Customer' regulations, the cumbersome paperwork associated with opening banking accounts, mandatory deposits, bank charges and the distance from villages to towns, where most formal financial institutions are normally located. Considering this, many rural people may opt to use informal financial institutions, which are risky and mostly unregulated. This paper aims to highlight the importance of financial inclusion for development in rural African communities. An overview is given of financial inclusion in Africa and of the methods through which the financially excluded 'bank' their money and obtain credit. The paper also looks at selected informal remittance mechanisms used by the rural poor to transfer and receive money. In addition, the concept of financial inclusion is presented in context, looking at financial literacy as the element needed to sustain the economic effects of reducing financial exclusion in Africa. Important initiatives to increase financial literacy are highlighted and the challenges faced in increasing financial inclusion in Africa are examined. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to promote financial inclusion"--Publisher's web site.

Download or read book Extending Financial Inclusion in Africa written by Daniel Makina and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-06-09 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extending Financial Inclusion in Africa unveils the genesis and transformation of Africa’s financial sector and its ability to provide finance for all. Contributors of the Book traverse the whole spectrum of African financial systems, examining their depth and breadth and empirically evaluating their appropriateness and effectiveness to achieve inclusive financial services. Explores the evolution of the financial sector in Africa from the pre-colonial to post-colonial era Investigates the financial inclusion–economic growth nexus Explores the role of financial regulation and governance in either enhancing or limiting financial inclusion Evaluates unintended consequences of financial inclusion, including over-indebtedness and increased propensity to spend Assesses cross-sectional evidence on the link between financial inclusion and technological developments such as the internet and mobile technology

Download or read book Financial Development in Sub Saharan Africa written by Mr.Montfort Mlachila and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2016-09-14 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper discusses how sub-Saharan Africa’s financial sector developed in the past few decades, compared with other regions. Sub-Saharan African countries have made substantial progress in financial development over the past decade, but there is still considerable scope for further development, especially compared with other regions. Indeed, until a decade or so ago, the level of financial development in a large number of sub-Saharan African countries had actually regressed relative to the early 1980s. With the exception of the region’s middle-income countries, both financial market depth and institutional development are lower than in other developing regions. The region has led the world in innovative financial services based on mobile telephony, but there remains scope to increase financial inclusion further. The development of mobile telephone-based systems has helped to incorporate a large share of the population into the financial system, especially in East Africa. Pan-African banks have been a driver for homegrown financial development, but they also bring a number of challenges.

Download or read book Achieving Financial Stability and Growth in Africa written by Stephany Griffith-Jones and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-24 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how the financial system should be regulated and structured to achieve the twin goals of inclusive growth and financial stability, with a focus on African low-income countries (LICs). The subject and content of this book is original in that it attempts to draw on the lessons and radical rethinking on the financial sector in developed and middle income countries, arising in the wake of the international financial crisis. It includes four in- depth country case studies, of Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia, but also analyses the empirical evidence for Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, evaluating the relevance (or not) of such major changes for the very different financial sectors and economies in low income countries. Achieving Financial Stability and Growth in Africa has major academic and policy implications, especially for low income countries, but also more generally, on broader issues. These include the desirable size of the financial sector, as well as more specific issues, such as the high cost of borrowing of small and medium enterprises in LICs, and possible measures to reduce it. Highly topical subjects like the appropriate regulation of the financial sector and management of capital flows are discussed in depth. Though drawing on comprehensive reviews of the literature, this volume has the virtue of the large comparative academic and policy experience of researchers, as well as in-depth case studies, that take account of institutional and economic features of low- income countries. Written by senior academics and policy-makers, this book is a must read for those researching or participating in the financial sectors of low-income countries, as well as in developed economies. It is also suitable for those who study political economy and public finance.

Download or read book Transforming Africa written by Dana T. Redford and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2022-01-26 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transforming Africa: How Savings Groups Foster Financial Inclusion, Resilience and Economic Development presents in-depth empirical research into current day savings group activities across Africa, exploring savings groups through the lens of financial inclusion and reflecting on formal finance, economic and social outcomes.

Download or read book Financial Inclusion and Development in the CEMAC written by Adrian Alter and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2015-11-09 with total page 31 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines financial inclusion and development in the CEMAC. We explore the level of financial inclusion in the CEMAC through a benchmarking exercise.We construct a measure of financial development gap and analyze its determinants. Using panel data regressions, we find that inflation, income, and natural resources explain most of the financial development level but that better financial sector governance and stronger economic governance are positively associated with financial sector development. Richer and poorer countries can be equally far from their expected financial development levels. Finally, we use a benchmarking exercise to identify countries that have successfully reduced the financial development gap and propose policy measures that CEMAC countries could use to boost financial inclusion.

Download or read book Financial inclusion written by Munacinga C. Simatele and published by AOSIS. This book was released on 2022-02-15 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Financial inclusion has been noted as a key driver of poverty alleviation and growth. Yet, most of the scholarly work that exists lacks a comprehensive discussion of how the poor interact with financial services and the channels through which such services can affect their livelihoods. This book offers researchers who focus on financial inclusion and African economies a one-stop resource for understanding the channels of transmission for financial inclusion as well as an application of these channels through original country-specific empirical papers. The book provides a back-to-basics presentation of the transmission of financial services to growth and poverty. This theoretical discussion is complemented by an empirical presentation of the various services used by the poor, with a focus on Africa. Case studies of financial inclusion in six African countries cover a broad range of topics most important to African countries and highlight the unique African setting. These empirical papers provide important learning points. Firstly, hybrid financial institutions such as cooperative financial institutions and financial social entrepreneurs are the best way to increase financial inclusion in Africa. They provide important vehicles to circumvent the restrictive and exclusive bank-based financial markets typical of African economies. Secondly, digital finance is a potent tool for improving financial access and usage in Africa, and its impact on poverty operates through both traditional and nontraditional financial instruments. Thirdly, investment in infrastructure which supports complementary markets is critical and is likely to have a greater effect on credit rationing than direct provision of credit to small businesses.

Download or read book Developing Africa s Financial Services written by Dana T. Redford and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2017-05-11 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Financial services are an essential element in powering entrepreneurial activity beyond resource extraction in Africa. This book examines the macro-trends and highlights inspiring success stories of entrepreneurial financial sector ventures that are making a lasting contribution to the economic development of various sub-Saharan African countries.

Download or read book Promoting and Prioritising Financial Inclusion in Southern Africa written by Howard Chitimira and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The book Promoting and Prioritising Financial Inclusion in Southern Africa: A Contemporary Law and Economics Perspective is written in the backdrop of Africa emerging as the world's second fastest developing continent, behind Asia. Africa has had annual Gross Domestic Product growth rates in excess of five percent over the last decade. Unfortunately, Africa's rapid economic expansion has not resulted in shared wealth or better living conditions for the majority of its people. Contributors to the book underline the importance of inclusive economic success in order to be socially and politically sustainable, with a specific emphasis on Southern Africa. Financial inclusion is a critical component of inclusive development, and Southern African countries, like the rest of Africa, have lagged behind other continents in this area. Fewer adults in Southern Africa have access to a formal financial institution account. According to the book, increasing access to financial services will mobilise more household savings, attract capital for investment, enlarge the class of entrepreneurs, and allow more individuals to invest in themselves and their families. Financial inclusion is required to ensure that economic growth is inclusive and sustainable. All measures that make formal financial services available, accessible and affordable to all segments of the population are referred to as financial inclusion. This necessitates paying special attention to segments of the population who have historically been excluded from the formal financial system, whether due to their income level and volatility, gender, geography, kind of activity, or degree of financial knowledge. In doing so, there is a need to tap the untapped potential of those individuals and businesses who are currently excluded from or underserved by the formal financial sector, allowing them to build capacity, strengthen their human and physical capital, engage in income-generating activities, and manage risks associated with their livelihoods."--

Download or read book Promoting Inclusive Growth in the Middle East and North Africa written by Mr. Roberto Cardarelli and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2022-10-11 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite some pre-pandemic gains in poverty reduction, literacy, and lifespans, many economies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have struggled to ensure that the benefits of economic development and diversification accrue equitably to all segments of their populations. Among the main issues that remain unresolved are the high share of inactive youth (who are not engaged in employment, education, or training); large gaps in economic opportunities for women; fragmented social protection systems; and underdeveloped private sectors with tight regulation, absence of a level playing field, and limited access to credit that stifle the creation of new firms and growth, employment, and incomes. The COVID-19 pandemic not only risks wiping out some of the progress made in the region over the past decades, but could also exacerbate inequality in a durable way. There is evidence that the impact of the pandemic has been uneven across groups, with the recession having a disproportionate effect on the low-skilled, the young, women, and migrant workers in employment and incomes. With widespread inequality, high unemployment, and the expected entry of 27 million young people into the labor force over the next 10 years, countries across the MENA region need to evolve their economic models to boost job creation and make sure that the benefits of economic development are shared more widely among all their citizens. This book’s objective is to reassess the inclusive growth agenda in the MENA region in light of the rapidly changing pandemic-influenced world. It argues that countries need to embrace global trade and technological advances and evolving demographics at home as an opportunity to successfully implement policies that foster higher and more inclusive growth. It underscores that a return to the old social contract is neither desirable nor feasible. The book presents a comprehensive view of policies suited to the regional context that would boost job-rich and inclusive growth within a resilient macroeconomic policy framework. Its goal is to provide guidance to policymakers in the region to frame how best to promote inclusive growth, including in their engagement with all stakeholders.

Download or read book Inclusive Financial Development written by Ahmad, Ahmad H. and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2021-10-19 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inclusive Financial Development provides theoretical and empirical analyses of the nature of financial inclusion. The contributing authors explore the impediments to inclusion that exist around the world, the macro and stability implications, and the regulation dimension.

Download or read book The Global Findex Database 2017 written by Asli Demirguc-Kunt and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2018-04-19 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.

Download or read book Economic Inclusion in Post Independence Africa written by David Mhlanga and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-09-04 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second in a three-volume series, this edited volume discusses post-independence economic inclusion in selected African countries. While human development indices rise and poverty rates fall across the African continent, facilitated by recent technological and innovation development which reaches previously inaccessible regions, indicators continue to lag in several crucial areas. Economic and social inclusion, therefore, remains at the forefront of development discussions across the continent. Using a variety of case studies underpinned by multidisciplinary research approaches, the chapters in this book explore a wide range of economic and financial inclusion issues from all aspects; from benefits and challenges to the steps that need to be taken to improve the level of economic inclusion on the continent. Governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations with a bias toward development, students, and university lecturers will all find this book interesting.

Download or read book FinTech in Sub Saharan African Countries written by Mr.Amadou N Sy and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2019-02-14 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FinTech is a major force shaping the structure of the financial industry in sub-Saharan Africa. New technologies are being developed and implemented in sub-Saharan Africa with the potential to change the competitive landscape in the financial industry. While it raises concerns on the emergence of vulnerabilities, FinTech challenges traditional structures and creates efficiency gains by opening up the financial services value chain. Today, FinTech is emerging as a technological enabler in the region, improving financial inclusion and serving as a catalyst for the emergence of innovations in other sectors, such as agriculture and infrastructure.

Download or read book Financial Inclusion and Bank Competition in Sub Saharan Africa written by Azanaw Mengistu and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2018-12-07 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this paper we study how competition and financial soundness affect financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We use detailed individual-level survey data, combined with key country-level indicators of bank competition and financial soundness, to study the effect on the adoption of several financial products (bank accounts, credit and debit cards, and bank loans). We find that more competition tends to increase the probability of access to these financial products. On the contrary, we do not find strong evidence of the effect of bank-balance sheet variables (i.e. capital adequacy or liquidity) on borrowing by individuals. Our results may help policy makers design regulations that could improve financial inclusion, which could potentially impact economic growth and long-term economic development.

Download or read book The Effects of Fragility and Financial Inequalities on Inclusive Growth in African Countries written by Babajide Fowowe and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Africa has the largest number and proportion of fragile states in the world. Fragile states are characterized by slower economic growth, higher incidences of poverty, and persistent inequality. Thus, there is a circular relationship between fragility, inequality, and slow economic growth. This study examines the relationship between fragility, financial inequalities, and inclusive growth in African countries. We introduce a novel way of examining inclusive growth in African countries by developing a unified measure of inclusive growth that captures the two dimensions of inclusive growth: income growth and income distribution. This enables us to adequately assess not just increased opportunities arising from economic growth, but also see how those new opportunities are distributed across all segments of the population. We captured the fragile status of African countries by using an index of fragility. We measured financial inequalities using new data on financial inclusion. The data analysis suggested negative relationships between fragility and inclusive growth in African countries. In addition, the results suggest positive relationships between financial inclusion and inclusive growth. Thus, inclusive growth can be fostered through policies that reduce financial inequalities. Therefore, a less fragile environment is conducive to inclusive growth both directly and indirectly through financial inclusion.

Download or read book Financial Sector Development in African Countries written by Omotunde E. G. Johnson and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-01-10 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Palgrave Pivot begins with a broad focus on financial sector development as a whole, highlighting areas such as the money market, payment system, and the capital market, as well as issues such as regulatory strategy, capacity building of financial firms and service providers, and financial inclusion. In the area of foreign exchange market policies, the book argues that African countries should aim for social efficiency of the markets, which would include soundness of their foreign exchange systems, from an economic growth perspective, and fairness from an income distributional perspective. Finally, in recognition of the fact that some African countries desire financial systems that are strong enough to be international centers of finance, the policy-making implications of that ambition are discussed. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in development economics, finance, and money and banking, as well as policy-makers and practitioners. Further, international organisations and independent research organisations interested in economic development in general or financial system development issues will also find this book of value.