Mobile money remains critical tool for financial inclusion drive in Ghana – Survey

Mobile Money remains a critical driver of Ghana’s financial inclusion drive, according to a new survey, by the Ministry of Finance and some financial services regulators.

The survey was to highlight some opportunities that are yet to be tapped in the economy to increase the country’s financial inclusion.

Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Financial Services Demand Side Survey, Lead Consultant of the project, Robert Berkowtz of Finmark Trust disclosed that Mobile Money followed by health insurance is critical in the government’s quest to increase financial inclusion.

“Financial inclusion has seen a significant improvement in the last 10 years and there has been a phenomenal growth in the provision of financial products”, it mentioned.

“We also realised that many more people are getting access to some form of funds which they were not able to get some years ago. Mobile Money is a key driver in the financial inclusion journey and we must make it a point to develop products and services to attract more users”, it said.

“Another area we have discovered is the use of insurance and mostly health insurance penetration which has increased over the years”, he said.

The 2021 Demand Side Survey was to measure the levels of financial inclusion, identify the drivers and barriers to the usage of financial products and services in the country.

Speaking at the ceremony to lunch the report, Deputy Minister of Finance, John Kumah, assured that government is committed to using all digital means available to increase financial inclusion.

“Financial Inclusion remains a priority for this government and all efforts will be made to ensure that we achieve the target by 2023” he noted.

The survey looked at financial markets and individual interactions with the financial system.