Expanding Digital Financial Services in the East African Community with a Gender Lens
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Date
2023
Authors
Myamba, Flora
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Economic Research Consortium
Abstract
The uptake of mobile money is on the rise around the globe, in Sub-Saharan Africa,
and notably in East African countries. The digitization of government to person (G2P)
payments is rising, governments are using electronic payments to pay public sector
salaries, pensions and other social benefits. Social protection beneficiaries tend to
be poor, are often women, and carry a legacy of financial exclusion. It is thus difficult
to achieve a significant expansion of digital financial inclusion in these countries
without gender consideration. Despite the outstanding achievements in the digital
world, women in East Africa face more significant challenges in gaining access to
digital financial services than men. This paper discusses more general and specific
barriers, including women's lack of technical know-how to make transactions, low
levels of mobile phone ownership, unavailability of agents, high transaction fees, and
poor network coverage. The paper further discusses potential strategies for expanding
digital financial inclusion for women, including those in the agriculture sector.
Description
Keywords
Digital financial services, Eastern Africa, Gender lens, gender equality, women’s economic empowerment