IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/agr/journl/v4(633)y2022i4(633)p117-132.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa: Benchmarking against peer developing countries

Author

Listed:
  • Mahamat Ibrahim AHMAT-TIDJANI

    (University of N’Djaména, Tchad; Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire)

  • Brou Emmanuel AKA

    (Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

This paper empirically investigates the financial inclusion gap in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) relative to peer developing countries using the two-stage instrumental variable estimation over the period 2011-2017. The results are two-fold. First, there are positive and significant gaps in bank account, mobile money and savings in SSA, and insignificant gaps in loans. The magnitudes of the gaps vary between 0.6 ~ 0.7, 1.3 ~ 1.7 and 9.1 ~ 17.1 percentage points, respectively. Second, private credit, real GDP per capita, population density, inflation and government effectiveness appear to be the driving factors of financial inclusion in the full sample of developing countries. Whilst, oil rents, education and bank concentration are the most important factors explaining financial inclusion in SSA.

Suggested Citation

  • Mahamat Ibrahim AHMAT-TIDJANI & Brou Emmanuel AKA, 2022. "Financial inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa: Benchmarking against peer developing countries," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(4(633), W), pages 117-132, Winter.
    • Handle: RePEc:agr:journl:v:4(633):y:2022:i:4(633):p:117-132
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://store.ectap.ro/articole/1627.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.ectap.ro/articol.php?id=1627&rid=149
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones, 1999. "Why do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker than Others?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 83-116.
    2. Chauvet, Lisa & Jacolin, Luc, 2017. "Financial Inclusion, Bank Concentration, and Firm Performance," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 1-13.
    3. Fungáčová, Zuzana & Weill, Laurent, 2015. "Understanding financial inclusion in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 196-206.
    4. Franklin Allen & Elena Carletti & Robert Cull & Jun ‘QJ’ Qian & Lemma Senbet & Patricio Valenzuela, 2014. "The African Financial Development and Financial Inclusion Gaps," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 23(5), pages 614-642.
    5. Pascaline Dupas & Jonathan Robinson, 2013. "Savings Constraints and Microenterprise Development: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Kenya," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(1), pages 163-192, January.
    6. John Luke Gallup & Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew Mellinger, 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," CID Working Papers 01A, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    7. Thorsten Beck, 2015. "Cross-Border Banking and Financial Deepening: The African Experience," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 24(suppl_1), pages 32-45.
    8. Sachs, Jeffrey D & Warner, Andrew M, 1997. "Sources of Slow Growth in African Economies," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 6(3), pages 335-376, October.
    9. John Luke Gallup & Jeffrey D. Sachs & Andrew Mellinger, 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," CID Working Papers 1, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    10. Dupas, Pascaline & Robinson, Jonathan, 2008. "Savings Constraints and Microenterprise Development: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Kenya," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt01x12117, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    11. Demirguc-Kunt,Asli & Klapper,Leora & Singer,Dorothe, 2017. "Financial inclusion and inclusive growth : a review of recent empirical evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 8040, The World Bank.
    12. Bhattacharyya, Sambit & Hodler, Roland, 2014. "Do Natural Resource Revenues Hinder Financial Development? The Role of Political Institutions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 101-113.
    13. Liliana Rojas-Suarez and Maria Alejandra Amado, 2014. "Understanding Latin America’s Financial Inclusion Gap - Working Paper 367," Working Papers 367, Center for Global Development.
    14. Chadi Azmeh, 2018. "Foreign bank entry and financial development: New evidence on the cherry picking and foreign bank’s informational disadvantage phenomena in the MENA countries," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(1), pages 1452343-145, January.
    15. Gallup, John & Sachs, Jeffrey, 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) Papers 294434, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.
    16. Levine, Ross, 2005. "Finance and Growth: Theory and Evidence," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 12, pages 865-934, Elsevier.
    17. Ann L. Owen & Javier M. Pereira, 2018. "Bank concentration, competition, and financial inclusion," Review of Development Finance Journal, Chartered Institute of Development Finance, vol. 8(1), pages 1-17.
    18. Gallup, J.L. & Sachs, J.D. & Mullinger, A., 1999. "Geography and Economic Development," Papers 1, Chicago - Graduate School of Business.
    19. Stiglitz, Joseph E & Weiss, Andrew, 1981. "Credit Rationing in Markets with Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 393-410, June.
    20. Beck, Thorsten & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Martinez Peria, Maria Soledad, 2007. "Reaching out: Access to and use of banking services across countries," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(1), pages 234-266, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Evans, Olaniyi, 2015. "The Effects of Economic and Financial Development on Financial Inclusion in Africa," MPRA Paper 81325, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Bloom, David E. & Canning, David & Kotschy, Rainer & Prettner, Klaus & Schünemann, Johannes, 2024. "Health and economic growth: Reconciling the micro and macro evidence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    3. Oleg Badunenko & Daniel Henderson & Romain Houssa, 2014. "Significant drivers of growth in Africa," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 339-354, December.
    4. Romain Houssa & Oleg Badunenko & Daniel J. Henderson, 2010. "Explaining African Growth Performance: A Production-Frontier Approach," Working Papers 1013, University of Namur, Department of Economics.
    5. Timothy Besley & Torsten Persson, 2011. "Pillars of Prosperity: The Political Economics of Development Clusters," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 9624.
    6. Oasis Kodila-Tedika & Simplice A. Asongu, 2022. "Tribalism and Finance," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, , vol. 34(2), pages 162-176, July.
    7. Iftekhar Hasan & Roman Horvath & Jan Mares, 2018. "What Type of Finance Matters for Growth? Bayesian Model Averaging Evidence," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 32(2), pages 383-409.
    8. Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés & Ketterer, Tobias, 2016. "Institutions vs. ‘First-Nature’ Geography – What Drives Economic Growth in Europe’s Regions?," CEPR Discussion Papers 11322, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Fang, Ying & Zhao, Yang, 2009. "Do institutions matter? : Estimating the effect of institutions on economic performance in China," BOFIT Discussion Papers 9/2009, Bank of Finland, Institute for Economies in Transition.
    10. Ahmad Hassan Ahmad & Christopher Green & Fei Jiang, 2020. "Mobile Money, Financial Inclusion And Development: A Review With Reference To African Experience," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(4), pages 753-792, September.
    11. Kodila-Tedika, Oasis & Asongu, Simplice, 2015. "Tribalism and Financial Development," MPRA Paper 67855, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Nils Herger & Roland Hodler & Michael Lobsiger, 2008. "What Determines Financial Development? Culture, Institutions or Trade," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 144(3), pages 558-587, October.
    13. Ying Fang & Yang Zhao, 2013. "Do Institutions Matter? Estimating the Effect of Institutions on Econo- mic Performance in China," Working Papers 2013-10-14, Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics (WISE), Xiamen University.
    14. Oasis Kodila-Tedika & Simplice Asongu & Matthias Cinyabuguma, 2016. "Financial Development and Geographic Isolation: Global Evidence," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 16/014, African Governance and Development Institute..
    15. Feghali, Khalil & Mora, Nada & Nassif, Pamela, 2021. "Financial inclusion, bank market structure, and financial stability: International evidence," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 236-257.
    16. repec:zbw:bofitp:2009_009 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Tobias D. Ketterer & Andrés Rodríguez‐Pose, 2018. "Institutions vs. ‘first‐nature’ geography: What drives economic growth in Europe's regions?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 97(S1), pages 25-62, March.
    18. Alquist, Ron & Chabot, Benjamin R. & Yamarthy, Ram, 2022. "The price of property rights: Institutions, finance, and economic growth," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    19. Shruti Malik & Girish Chandra Maheshwari & Archana Singh, 2019. "Understanding Financial Inclusion in India: A Theoretical Framework Building Through SAP–LAP and Efficient IRP," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 20(2), pages 117-140, June.
    20. Ignacio Amate-Fortes & Almudena Guarnido-Rueda & Agustin Molina-Morales, 2017. "Economic and Social Determinants of Human Development: A New Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 561-577, September.
    21. Areendam Chanda & Carl‐Johan Dalgaard, 2008. "Dual Economies and International Total Factor Productivity Differences: Channelling the Impact from Institutions, Trade, and Geography," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 75(300), pages 629-661, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:agr:journl:v:4(633):y:2022:i:4(633):p:117-132. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Mircea Dinu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/agerrea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.