Institute for Money, Technology & Financial Inclusion

Since 2008, the introduction of mobile money has revolutionized money transfer in Côte d’Ivoire, driven by the major service providers that include mobile network operators Orange, MTN, and Moov. Today the country is one of the fastest growing digital finance markets in the world with more than six million registered mobile money service customers as of 2013. Our project aimed to determine how women's participation contributes to mobile money's success in Côte d'Ivoire.

Location:Field research, including surveys and focus group discussions, was carried out in the “Gouro” market, a well-known place at the heart of the commercial market of Adjamé in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's economic capital. The market was created by Gouro women, an ethnic group from the western region of Côte d’Ivoire with large plantain, cassava, tomato, and spice farms. Today, women foodstuff vendors at the Gouro market represent a microcosm of Ivorian women, including the various ethnic groups, different economic statuses, and education levels, etc.