University of Ghana gets research grant
The University of Ghana, together with other universities have won a £2,017,452 (approx. US$ 2.93 million) research grant, to research on inclusive finance.
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The project, to be executed by a consortium of universities is funded under the DFID-ESRC Growth Research Programme (DEGRP). It has Professor Joshua Yindenaba Abor and Dr. Mohammed Amidu as the researchers for the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS).
Participating institutions
With the lead researcher as Professor Victor Murinde of the University of Birmingham, UK, other collaborating institutions include the University of London, Institute of Development Studies of the University of Sussex, Loughborough University, the Overseas Development Institute, the University of Nottingham, the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, Université Laval in Québec, Canada and Columbia in the US, and the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).
Duration
The research, to be delivered over a four-year period (2016-2020), is expected to address three core questions, such as, how institutional frameworks support inclusive financial development, the role private and public capital inflows play in domestic financial inclusion in Africa and how private and public institutions in Africa can be a catalyst and channel for technological diffusion and financial inclusion.
Launch of the project
A statement issued by the University of Ghana Business School said the research project would be launched in Nairobi on Monday, May 30, 2016.
It said the launch would be in conjunction with the AERC biannual research workshop, for dialogue and input from stakeholders, including senior policy officials, private sector actors, and civil society.
Focus of the project
The research project, the statement said, would focus on delivering inclusive financial development, with a focus on low-income countries in Africa.
It quoted Professor Murinde that, “the project will: deliver rigorous, high quality research to support financial inclusion policies; develop innovative financial products in collaboration with households, banks, and the private sector; involve collaborative research to enhance methodologies and data for the promotion of inclusive finance; and engage with policy-makers to provide research-based advice on financial inclusion in Africa”.
“This research is vital for embedding financial inclusion in African economies, and aims to have a significant impact on society as a whole,” it said.
