India commits $2million to boost digital financial inclusion across Africa

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Indian government will contribute US$2 million to the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) housed and managed by the African Development Bank to help break down barriers to the growth and uptake of digital financial solutions and accelerate financial inclusion in Africa.

Manisha Sinha, Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs and Principal ADFI Governing Council Member for India said that the unique, affordable, inclusive, and equitable model of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) offers shared learning opportunities across the digital finance ecosystem.

“India’s pioneering role in digital financial services, extending financial inclusion to remote rural areas and creating infrastructure for digitisation of financial services, opens a significant opportunity for India to work within the ADFI partnership to share learning and expertise on digital public infrastructure to further digital financial inclusion across the continent,” Sinha said.

ADFI supports the African Development Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy focus on inclusive growth and the High 5 priority to Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.

Its role also aligns with the Bank’s financial sector development department’s mandate to improve access to finance for the underserved. ADFI works to scale innovative digital financial solutions under the three broad strategic pillars of infrastructure, policies and regulations and product innovation. Capacity building and gender inclusion cut across all interventions.

Solomon Quaynor, African Development Bank vice president for the Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, said, “We welcome the Government of India’s support of the catalytic role ADFI has been playing in accelerating greater access and usage of digital financial solutions and financial inclusion across the continent.

Despite the growing evidence of digitization catalyzing sustainable development in Africa, available data shows that nearly half the continent’s adult population does not benefit from digital financial solutions, particularly women, youth, farmers, small businesses, and rural communities.