Diffusion of Innovations: Mobile Money Utility and Financial Inclusion in Nigeria. Insights from Agents and Unbanked Poor End Users

Abstract

Despite a rigorous policy drive towards financial inclusion in Nigeria, and although the country has a high tele-density ratio, the vast unbanked largely poor remain excluded from the financial sector. Adopting a mixed method approach of the supplier and consumer sides of mobile money, using documentary analysis, focus groups, interviews, and surveys; this article relies on the diffusion of innovations theoretical framework to explore the utility of mobile money with a view to not only assess its application in the enhancement of financial inclusion, but also better tailor the current applications for these low-income users. We identify 4 factors (lack of customer demand and experimenters, lack of integration in the ecosystem, lack of trust and preference for effective local savings scheme and policy short-termism resulting in mobile money operational unsustainability) that are responsible for non-diffusion of mobile money. Our paper reveals interest dynamics that can advance a more long-term mobile money regulatory policy which takes care of the concerns of the unbanked poor.