Solar powers Malawi’s mobile money boom but leaves the poorest behind – The Mail & Guardian

Solar powers Malawi’s mobile money boom but leaves the poorest behind – The Mail & Guardian

Solar home systems are accelerating the spread of mobile money in rural Malawi, according to new academic research. But the households benefiting most are not the poorest. A peer reviewed study found that rural households owning solar systems are about 40 percentage points more likely to use mobile money than otherwise similar households without solar power. Mobile money has become the principal financial tool for many rural Malawians, enabling …