Speaker: Vivian Dzokoto, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University

Abstract:

This presentation will discuss selected governance and consumer dimensions of Ghana’s evolving payments landscape. Ghana experienced a currency redenomination in the last decade and a half. The country has since transitioned to an  increasingly cash-lite economy as more and more consumers incorporate primarily mobile phone-based payment applications into their spending practices, and financial technology companies (fintechs) develop innovative products to  facilitate electronic transactions. As we will see, each disruption to the payment space provides novel opportunities to learn about implementation best practices, consumer experiences, and the meanings, movement, and materiality of money.

Vivian Afi Dzokoto, PhD is a cultural and clinical psychologist. She is a Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, USA. Previously funded by the Institute of Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion, her research foci include User Experiences in African Payment Spaces and the Cultural Grounding of Affect and Psychopathology In West African Settings.