Disability is no Inability: Promoting Financial Inclusion and Digital Financial Services for PWDs in Rwanda
Date
2025
Authors
Munyengera, Ggombe Kasim
Precious, Akampumuza
Seth, Kwizera
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AERC
Abstract
As financial inclusion rates rise to cover 93% of the adult population in Rwanda, one in four adults with disabilities has no access to either formal or informal financial services. People with disabilities have lower rates of mobile money account ownership (46%) compared to those without disabilities (59%). Overall rates of bank service usage, including accounts owned by others, were 30% among persons with disabilities and 37% among those without disabilities. Informal services are an inevitable option for people with disabilities whose usage rate is higher (17.9%) than among the rest of the population (14.9%), with substantial cost implications, especially regarding credit. Supply-side constraints include the physical inaccessibility of most financial institution and mobile network operator (MNO) premises, a lack of products tailored to the special needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs), disability-insensitive service delivery channels, and negative stereotypes and discrimination among some financial service providers.