Empowering Women through Financial Inclusion: Some Evidence from Comoros

Financial inclusion incorporates a range of initiatives that make financial services available, accessible, and affordable to all segments of the population, including women, youth and rural communities and other disadvantaged groups. Islamic financial inclusion goes beyond improved access to finance to encompass enhanced access to savings and risk mitigation products, as well as social inclusion that allows individuals and companies to engage more actively in the real economy. This study’s main objective is to investigate how to empower Muslim women in Comoros via relevant Islamic financial products and services. The study used structured questionnaires to collect primary data from respondents who were randomly selected from among women living in the outskirts of Moroni, the capital of Comoros, and Tsidje, which is a large city not far from the capital. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) comprising 24 participants were held to facilitate a deeper understanding of Islamic financial inclusion among Comoros women. The results provide strong evidence of the importance of removing the barriers hindering access to Islamic financial services for the disadvantaged women in Comoros through providing Islamic social financial tools and building capacity. The results show that women either have no money to use the financial services or lack the relevant financial services knowledge that might make them capable of being financially included and hence lifted out of poverty.