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Mobile money for financial inclusion and saving practices: empirical evidence from Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Owusu Takyi
  • Constance Sorkpor
  • Grace Nkansa Asante

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of mobile money on savings and saving practices among individuals in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach - Employing an instrumental variable (IV) estimation technique, comprehensive data from the Financial Inclusion Insight (FII) Survey is used, implemented by InterMedia company and conducted from December 2014 to January 2015 in Ghana. Findings - It is found that mobile money use generally increases savings and saving behavior among individuals in Ghana. In particular, our results show that mobile money use increases the probability of individuals saving for business startup or business expansion, child's education and emergencies. Also, for the heterogeneous effects of mobile money use on saving practices, strong evidence that the use of mobile money is more pronounced in rural areas than in urban centers is found. Originality/value - To the best of our knowledge, no empirical study has been done on Ghana to extensively examine how mobile money affects various saving practices in Ghana as it is done in this paper. The paper highlights the need for ongoing enhancement of financial inclusion in rural areas by the government of Ghana and other stakeholders to boost savings among rural folks, while not neglecting that in urban areas. Generally, the findings for this paper support the use of mobile money as a tool for enhancing the financial inclusion agenda by policymakers in Ghana and many other countries around the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Owusu Takyi & Constance Sorkpor & Grace Nkansa Asante, 2022. "Mobile money for financial inclusion and saving practices: empirical evidence from Ghana," Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 41(1), pages 16-32, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:jeaspp:jeas-11-2021-0232
    DOI: 10.1108/JEAS-11-2021-0232
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mobile money; Financial inclusion; Saving practices; Ghana; G20; G21; G22; O30; E21;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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