Publication Date: 2023/09/30
Abstract: Financial exclusion remains a significant challenge in Nigeria, as much of the economy's wealth remains outside the banking system. Addressing this issue is crucial for the country's overall economic development. However, quantifying progress in financial inclusion has proven difficult due to the lack of a universally accepted standard measure, and finding ways to measure progress towards greater financial inclusion for all Nigerians is necessary. In Akinyele Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria, this study examined the factors influencing financial inclusion among rural farming households. A multistage sampling technique was used to gather primary data from rural agricultural households. Descriptive statistics and the Multivariate Probit model were used to examine the gathered data. According to the descriptive statistics, the average household size was 4, and the majority (64%) of the population was male. With 56% of rural farming households consisting of single people, 57.33% having access to extension services, and 58.67% having access to credit facilities, the average distance to the closest financial institution is 5.4 km. The Multivariate probit regression shows that the determinants of financial inclusion among households using having a bank account as the dependent variable are religion, access to credit facilities, and cooperative association membership, while sex, income, credit facilities, access to agricultural training, and scale of production are the variables influence using internet among the rural farming households while using debit or credit cards was influence by income and animal asset index. The study proposed increasing credit provision among rural farming households to enhance their income.
Keywords: Rural Households, Financial Inclusion, Farming Households, Akinyele, Nigeria.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10000699
PDF: https://ijirst.demo4.arinfotech.co/assets/upload/files/IJISRT23SEP483.pdf
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