Fintechs et inclusion financière en Afrique : quelles implications pour la transformation structurelle ?

Ngunza Maniata, Kevin and Waminuku Manzambi, Tresor (2025): Fintechs et inclusion financière en Afrique : quelles implications pour la transformation structurelle ?

Abstract

The rapid rise of financial technologies (fintechs) in Africa has significantly expanded access to financial services, especially through mobile money. While this growth has improved financial inclusion and household resilience, its impact on structural transformation remains limited. This paper examines whether and how fintechs can serve as a driver of productive modernization, drawing on a literature review, case studies (Kenya, Nigeria, Francophone Africa), and a stylized analytical framework. Findings show that digital finance enhances transaction efficiency and access to basic services, but generates lasting macroeconomic effects only when integrated with industrial policy, productive financing, human-capital development, and stronger links between firms and modern value chains.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• English Title: Fintechs and Financial Inclusion in Africa: Implications for Structural Transformation
• Language: French
• Keywords: Fintech; Financial inclusion; Structural transformation; Africa; Economic development; Digital economy
• Subjects: E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E2 - Consumption, Saving, Production, Investment, Labor Markets, and Informal Economy > E26 - Informal Economy ; Underground Economy; G - Financial Economics > G2 - Financial Institutions and Services > G21 - Banks ; Depository Institutions ; Micro Finance Institutions ; Mortgages; L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior > L26 - Entrepreneurship; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O14 - Industrialization ; Manufacturing and Service Industries ; Choice of Technology; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O16 - Financial Markets ; Saving and Capital Investment ; Corporate Finance and Governance; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences ; Diffusion Processes

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