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An Exploratory Study of Financial Inclusion of Rural Communities through Digital Financial Services: Case Study of Mpungu Constituency, Kavango West Region, Namibia
Rajesh ARORA, Martin Mabeifam UJAKPA, Maria T. MATIAS, Augusto DOMINGOS, Nicholas ADORSU, Aussie Nkrumah MUTALYA
Pages - 14 - 22     |    Revised - 01-02-2021     |    Published - 01-04-2021
Volume - 0   Issue - 0    |    Publication Date -   Table of Contents
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KEYWORDS
Digital Financial, Financial Inclusion, Digital Financial Services, Rural Communities, Digital Financial Platforms.
ABSTRACT
In recent times it has become a common observable known fact that the usage of digital financial services is trying to achieve comparative advantage through diversification, and growth in market share to increase the profit. Through digital financial services, the process of transferring money has become more convenient, quick and reliable. Regardless of scholars and policy makers agreement on its potential to offer financial accessibility and inclusion, it seems to offer more increased accessibility to financial services, especially for persons in rural areas where there seem to be few financial services institutions physical buildings. Considering that very scanty literature on financial inclusion by digital finance services in rural areas (including the Mpungu Constituency in the Kavango West Region of Namibia) exist, there is the need for further studies in this area. This study therefore explored the effect of digital financial services on financial inclusion in rural communities in Namibia using the Mpungu constituency of Kavango west region as a case study. Applying a quantitative research method, questionnaires were self-administered to collect data from 155 persons. The research found that many people in rural communities possess mobile devices, perform digital financial services such as withdrawals on weekly basis. Challenges that rural communities face in using digital financial transactions include network and mobile devices. From the above, the research concluded that, through digital financial services, financial inclusion is enabled in rural communities. Generalizing the study conclusion to all rural communities could be challenging as data was collected only from the Mpungu Constituency in the Kavango West Region in Namibia.
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Professor Rajesh ARORA
Vice Chancellor, Apex University, Arunachal Pradesh, 791102 - India
Dr. Martin Mabeifam UJAKPA
Senior Lecturer and Faculty Dean, Information and Communication Technology Faculty, International University of Management, Windhoek, 9000 - Namibia
Miss Maria T. MATIAS
Tutor / IT Technician, Information and Communication Technology Faculty, International University of Management, Windhoek, 9000 - Namibia
Mr. Augusto DOMINGOS
Information and Communication Technology Faculty, International University of Management, Windhoek, 9000 - Namibia
Dr. Nicholas ADORSU
Faculty of Computing and Information Systems, Ghana Communication Technology University, Takoradi Campus - Ghana
Dr. Aussie Nkrumah MUTALYA
Information and Communication Technology Faculty, International University of Management, Windhoek, 9000 - Namibia


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