Formal Financial Inclusion and the Nexus Between Access to Mobile and Smart Telecommunication Services and Usage of Mobile Financial Services Among Women in Burkina Faso Post-COVID-19 Era

Abstract

Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 (gender equality) and 9.c (technological access), this study investigates the endogenous nexus between access to mobile and smart telecommunication services (MSTSs) and women’s consumption of mobile financial services (MFS) in post-COVID-19 Burkina Faso, with a focus on the mediating role of formal financial inclusion. Utilizing data from the 2021 DHS-V survey of 17,659 women aged 15–49, we employ spatial semiparametric trivariate copula regression modeling to address the inherent endogeneity of MSTS access and its impact on MFS consumption. This study’s novelty lies in its pioneering use of advanced econometric modeling to disentangle the interplay between MSTS access, formal financial inclusion, and women’s MFS usage in a postcrisis, low-income African context, where gender gaps in financial access remain pronounced. Our findings reveal positive associations between women’s MSTS access and MFS consumption, with formal financial inclusion significantly enhancing women’s utility from MFS. Unexpectedly, standard mobile phone services yield higher MFS consumption premiums than smartphone access. Control factors, including internet access, household wealth, education, and rural–urban disparities, further shape MFS adoption. These insights offer critical guidance for policymakers and development agencies to advance women’s economic empowerment through targeted digital and financial inclusion strategies in Burkina Faso and similar contexts.