학술논문

Financial inclusion and its impact on economic growth: Empirical evidence from sub-Saharan Africa
Document Type
article
Source
Cogent Economics & Finance, Vol 10, Iss 1 (2022)
Subject
Financial inclusion
economic growth
principal component analysis
GMM
sub-Saharan Africa
Finance
HG1-9999
Economic theory. Demography
HB1-3840
Language
English
ISSN
23322039
2332-2039
Abstract
This study examines the impact of financial inclusion on economic growth using panel data of 22 sub-Sahara African (SSA) countries during the period spanning from 2012 to 2018. The study employs the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). Using a composite index of financial inclusion as well as individual financial inclusion indicators, we discovered that the availability dimension of financial inclusion, penetration dimension of financial inclusion and composite financial inclusion (all indicators put together) significantly and positively impact economic growth while the usage dimension of financial inclusion improves economic growth but not significantly. Also, bank branches and ATMs have positive and significant impact on economic growth, deposit accounts and outstanding loans promote economic growth but not significantly while outstanding deposits adversely affects economic growth. In addition, findings for mobile money indicators from 2012 to 2018 revealed that mobile money agents weaken economic growth while mobile money accounts and mobile money transactions foster economic growth but not significantly. This implies that financial education policies which help Africans better understand the potential benefits of the usage of banking services should be pursued.