Digital Cash Transfers for Emergency Response
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Cameroon launched anemergency cash transfers program in urban areas. It aimed to mitigate the adverse economic impacts by providing temporary income support to poor informal sector workers unable to access other social protection benefits. Eighty thousand beneficiaries, mostly women, were selected to receive three transfers amounting to USD 275 (FCFA 180,000). A process evaluation was conducted in 2021 to document lessons learned from this first experience with digital government-to-people (G2P) payments in Cameroon. The evaluation combined extensive consultations with project implementors as well as focus group discussions and phone surveys with beneficiaries. The research revealed a strong demand for mobile money payments among the urban cash transfers beneficiaries. A substantial majority (78 percent) expressed a preference for payments directly into their mobile money accounts rather than in cash or through other methods. This preference can be linked to the already high penetration rates: 95 percent of beneficiaries had mobile money accounts before the project. However, it's important to acknowledge that this preference might not entirely represent the broader population, particularly in rural areas. Challenges persist in these regions concerning network coverage, civil registration, and financial literacy.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Brief biblioteca |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2024-01-09
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| Subjects: | G2PX, DIGITAL CASH TRANSFERS, DIGITAL PAYMENTS, FSP, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099120423120534384/P1715720bef7870b10b4b401efe3ab75193 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40860 |
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| Summary: | In response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
the government of Cameroon launched anemergency cash
transfers program in urban areas. It aimed to mitigate the
adverse economic impacts by providing temporary income
support to poor informal sector workers unable to access
other social protection benefits. Eighty thousand
beneficiaries, mostly women, were selected to receive three
transfers amounting to USD 275 (FCFA 180,000). A process
evaluation was conducted in 2021 to document lessons learned
from this first experience with digital government-to-people
(G2P) payments in Cameroon. The evaluation combined
extensive consultations with project implementors as well as
focus group discussions and phone surveys with
beneficiaries. The research revealed a strong demand for
mobile money payments among the urban cash transfers
beneficiaries. A substantial majority (78 percent) expressed
a preference for payments directly into their mobile money
accounts rather than in cash or through other methods. This
preference can be linked to the already high penetration
rates: 95 percent of beneficiaries had mobile money accounts
before the project. However, it's important to
acknowledge that this preference might not entirely
represent the broader population, particularly in rural
areas. Challenges persist in these regions concerning
network coverage, civil registration, and financial literacy. |
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