Head of Digital and eCommerce at Stanbic Bank Ghana, Jemila Abdulai has underscored the critical role of trust in advancing digital financial inclusion, particularly in rural Africa.

Speaking at the 15th Africa Bank Summit in Accra, Ms Abdulai emphasized that trust is a key element in fostering financial inclusion and ensuring the adoption of digital banking services.

Participating in a panel discussion on the topic “West Africa’s Digital Leapfrog: Bridging the Gap through Inclusive Innovation”, Ms Abdulai noted that while digital innovation is often perceived as high-end technological advancements, real impact lies in creatively leveraging existing resources to meet community needs.

“Trust is important when it comes to financial inclusion and digital banking. This is particularly important when it comes to ensuring inclusivity in rural Africa because those are small community-based frameworks. And in such setups, it is a question of familiarity.”

She cited the example of Bluetown Ghana’s partnership with Microsoft Airband in 2019/2020, which successfully connected rural and semi-urban communities to the internet. By collaborating with a civil society organization (CSO) that had existing relationships with the local communities, the initiative was able to foster trust and encourage first-time internet users to come online.

“The challenges there were on multiple fronts; one being the digital infrastructure and how they would encourage individuals or communities, who haven’t been online before, to come online for the very first time,” she explained.

“What they did was partner with a CSO in the region that already had projects and good relationships with the communities. Through that partnership, they achieved their goal of bringing internet access to communities, particularly for women and youth, at no cost.”

Jemila Abdulai highlighted how banks and fintech companies can leverage similar approaches to engage underserved communities and create opportunities for financial growth.

“We need to leverage AI solutions, but where fintech and banks come in is in understanding these communities and engaging with them. Over time, they can become ideal customers that we can serve, but first, we must build those relationships.”

The Africa Bank Summit is a premier annual gathering of financial industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators focused on shaping the future of banking on the continent.

The 15^th edition explored themes around digital transformation, financial inclusion, and sustainable banking practices, bringing together thought leaders to discuss strategies for bridging the digital divide in Africa.