Paper short abstract:

This study examines adoption, intensity of use & reasons behind mobile money usage in Ghana. Results provide insights on what drives adoption decisions & usage intensity, contributing to the literature on digitalization & Fintech in SSA & providing implications for fintech policies.

Paper long abstract:

This study examines the drivers of adoption, intensity of adoption, and qualitative reasons behind adoption and non-adoption of mobile money services among the economically active population in Ghana. Mobile money prevalence in Ghana is high, with 38.5 million registered accounts and 17.1 million active accounts by the end of 2020. The increasing adoption of mobile money in Ghana is partly linked to the mobile money interoperability implemented by the central bank in 2018, which allows for transactions across different telecommunication networks and linking mobile money to traditional bank accounts. The study aims to fill an empirical gap on the factors influencing the adoption intensity of electronic payment services, contributing to the broader literature of digitalization and FINTECH in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and providing implications for public attitudes towards fintech policies such as the Electronic levy in Ghana. This study will help service providers, regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders to understand not only what drive adoption decisions but also the intensity of use, which is more informative when adoption rates reach or surpass a critical mass.