This research paper focuses on the development and future of fin-tech in Sub-Saharan Africa by delving into one of the nascent influential technologies known as Mobile Money. Mobile banking is an innovation that has expedited the growth of financial intermediation and inclusion for developing countries specifically in the East African region. Kenya’s pioneer mobile money system, M-Pesa, pre-dates others like it and offers substantive data from which to analyse the extent of the economic contributions telecom based mobile money systems have made. A simple Solow Growth Model is the math model from which economic growth will be calculated by focusing on total factor productivity amongst factor inputs like labor and capital. Is mobile money feeding the “catch-up” growth of developing economies? What are future implications of this innovation and others like it for the African continent?
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar class on the economics of future technologies with James Miller, professor of economics.