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The objective of this study is to examine the impact of mobile money (m-money) adoption on some household outcomes such as farm output, welfare (consumption expenditure), and wealth (value of assets). Using primary data collected from three districts in Ghana, three Propensity Score Matching methods were employed to estimate the m-money adoption effect on the household outcomes. It is found that advertisements and higher than basic levels of education, among other variables, were important in influencing the adoption of m-money among smallholder farmers. The adoption of m-money was also seen to have an enhancing effect on the household outcome variables (farm output, welfare, and wealth) of smallholder farmers. The results suggest that mobile money can help enhance some of the smallholder economic outcomes that are relevant for rural development and poverty reduction. Policy options should consider expanding m-money services to smallholder farmers in rural areas.

Less attention has been given to well-being and other household characteristics that influence clients’ access to micro-credit among women households especially. The paper investigates the determinants of access to credit by 320 women entrepreneurs in the Mfantsiman Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana. Data for the study was collected in June-July 2010 from six communities including Mankessim, Saltpond, Anomabu, Biriwa and Yamoransa. Sturctured questionnaires were used to collect the data from women entrepreneurs. The results of the study indicate that clients’ well-being influences access to credit amount. Clients who have been in business for long time are likely to access larger loan amounts. Marital status and education do not influence access to credit. Among the recommendations are that microfinance should not only target clients with high well-being scores but those with low well-being scores since the original aim of microfinance is to lift the poor out of poverty. It is important to give credit to aged business owners instead of young ones. Giving credit to married women because their husbands could serve as guarantors does not matter much but rather women who do not have husbands also need to benefit from micro-credit.

The role of oil and gas exploration and other natural resources in the economic development of a country cannot be over emphasized. Unfortunately, in most oil producing countries women have not benefited from oil and gas exploration. This study therefore seeks to explore the effects of the oil find in Ghana on the livelihood of women in the catchment area of Cape Three Points. Purposive sampling was used to select two hundred and forty respondents who were interviewed in two communities at Cape Three Points about their anticipated challenges and prospects in the wake of the oil find. Results indicate that more than half of the respondents perceive a decrease in fish catch, loss of jobs for husbands and reduction in income levels. It is recommended that in order for women to take advantage of the oil find, there is the need to create alternative livelihoods such as access to finance; capacity building; training and development; and technical services for women in the catchment area.

PurposeDoes financial inclusion matter for productivity among smallholder farmers? The authors answer this question by using the sixth and seventh rounds of the Ghana Living Standard Survey to examine the extent to which financial inclusion affects productivity among smallholder farmers in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a pooled data of the 6th and 7th rounds of the Ghana Living Standard Survey which are national representative data. The authors model an Instrumental Variable (IV) to correct for endogeneity in financial inclusion and a dominance analysis to examine the effects of access to credit, ownership of savings account and insurance product on farmers' productivity.FindingsResults from the study indicate that financial inclusion significantly enhances productivity. Moreover, credit, savings and insurance products influence productivity at various degrees. Thus, expanding the scope of financial services (access to credit, savings and insurance) among smallholder farmers is crucial for inclusive finance and sustainable agricultural production.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study have implications for financial institutions in the design of financial products that the meet the needs of smallholder farmers.Originality/valueSeveral studies have looked at how access to credit influences agricultural productivity in Africa. However, in recent times financial inclusion has been advocated for because it goes beyond mere access to credit. This paper to the best of our knowledge is the first of its kind to examine how financial inclusion could affect agricultural productivity in Ghana.

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The paper examines the effect of regulation on microfinance institutions' (MFIs) sustainability and outreach in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Using unbalanced panel data from 2002 to 2012 for 30 countries and a multilevel estimation technique, we find that regulation helps improves the sustainability and breadth of outreach but not the depth. We also find that MFIs that accept deposits have better sustainability but tend to serve the marginal poor. Finally, regulatory quality has a positive impact on outreach and sustainability. Overall, the paper casts new light on the contribution of regulation to the dual objectives of microfinance.

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