Dr Eric Ekobor-Ackah Mochiah, Dr Kwami Ahiabenu II, Prof P. K. Senyo
Abstract
Mobile money agents are the backbone of Ghana’s digital finance ecosystem, enabling millions of people to deposit, withdraw, and transfer funds. Yet access to mobile money remains uneven. Rural and remote communities often lack permanent agents, while urban centres face overcrowding of agents, leading to intense competition and reduced profit margins. On the demand side, customers in underserved areas must travel very long distances and incur significant costs to access mobile money or other financial services.
To address this paradox, Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) piloted a roving agent model, incentivising mobile money agents to travel weekly to underserved “virgin” communities. Supported by transportation subsidies, the intervention was tested through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) across seven districts in the Central Region.
Findings show that subsidising transport significantly increased agent productivity. Treated agents recorded sharp rises in daily cash-in (15.2 times higher), cash-out (35 to 447 times higher), and customer base (almost 70 more customers) compared to control groups. These results suggest that the roving agent model is a viable strategy to expand access to financial services in underserved rural markets, while simultaneously improving agent profitability.
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