MICROFINANCE PUBLICATION ROUND-UP: Geographies of Need and Microfinance Providers in Nigeria, Role of Government in Financial Inclusion, Mobile Money Service and Poverty Reduction in Kenya

“Exploratory Analysis of Local Geographies of Need and the Proximity of Microfinance Service Providers in Nigeria;” Dr Adegbola A Ojo and Scott Gaul; published by Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX); January 2012; 14 pages; available at: http://www.themix.org/sites/default/files/MBB- Exploratory Analysis of Local Geographies of Need and the Proximity of Microfinance Service Providers in Nigeria_0.pdf


The authors of this paper consider local-government dynamics and how they relate to microfinance services as well as the relationship between the distribution of microfinance banks and the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the populations they serve. Results indicate a negative correlation between private informal employment and microfinance supply.

“Financially Inclusive Ecosystems: The Roles of Government Today;” by Tilman Ehrbeck, Mark Pickens and Michael Tarazi; published by CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); February 2012; 12 pages; available at: http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.9.56703/

This paper considers financial inclusion and the role government can or should play in the development of financially inclusive ecosystems. As the realm of microfinance broadens to include products such as payments, savings and insurance for poor people, the challenge of maintaining safe and efficient product delivery is increasingly important. This paper suggests that research to identify what government initiatives work is a key factor to successful financial inclusion.

“Mobile Money Services and Poverty Reduction: A Study of Women’s Groups in Rural Eastern Kenya” by Dr Ndunge Kiiti and Dr Jane Mutinda; published by the Institute for Money, Technology, and Financial Inclusion (IMTFI); 2011; 9 pages; available at: http://www.imtfi.uci.edu/files/imtfi/blog_working_papers/kenyan_mobile_money-imtfi_working_paper_2011-2.pdf

This working paper discusses the training of 21 women’s groups in Kenya on issues related to investment, savings and money management. Groups were trained by Vinya wa Aka Group (VwAG), a women’s group in Kenya with support from the African development organization New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). As part of the training, each group outlined a strategy for resource mobilization, savings and investment with the aim of reducing poverty within their families and communities. The goal was to investigate the use and impact of mobile money services such as M-Pesa, Yu and Zap as part of poverty reduction.

By Natalie Baer, Research Associate

Sources and Additional Resources:

“Exploratory Analysis of Local Geographies of Need and the Proximity of Microfinance Service Providers in Nigeria”
http://www.themix.org/sites/default/files/MBB- Exploratory Analysis of Local Geographies of Need and the Proximity of Microfinance Service Providers in Nigeria_0.pdf

“Financially Inclusive Ecosystems: The Roles of Government Today”
http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.9.56703/

“Mobile Money Services and Poverty Reduction: A Study of Women’s Groups in Rural Eastern Kenya” http://www.imtfi.uci.edu/files/imtfi/blog_working_papers/kenyan_mobile_money-imtfi_working_paper_2011-2.pdf

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