Mobile Banking and Financial Inclusion in Urban Cameroon: A Longitudinal Study

Urban Cameroon faces significant economic challenges, including high levels of financial exclusion among its population. Mobile banking has emerged as a potential solution to bridge this gap. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative survey data with qualitative interviews. Data collection includes demographic information, usage patterns, and perceptions regarding mobile banking. Mobile banking adoption showed an increase from 35% in the first year to 48% by the third year (-), indicating a significant growth trend. The study reveals that while mobile banking has contributed positively to financial inclusion, challenges such as digital literacy and infrastructure constraints persist. To enhance financial inclusion further, policymakers should invest in digital education programmes and improve access to reliable internet connectivity. Mobile Banking, Financial Inclusion, Urban Cameroon, Longitudinal Study Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.