logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
15m 21s

Why are so many of us still unbanked?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

For most people having a bank account, being able to save our money or borrow, whether it's for a personal reason or business venture, is an essential part of life. But nearly 2 billion people around the world have no access to a bank account or digital access to money services. For sub-Saharan Africa the unbanked represent over 60 per cent of the population. In Africa Daily Karnie Sharp now looks at why so many people remain unbanked and what's being done to overcome this financial exclusion.

Host: Karnie Sharp (@KarnieSharp on Twitter)

Guests: Ojok Okello founder of Okere City, based in Uganda Geoffrey Mulei, CEO of Tanda, Kenya

Up next
Oct 2025
Tanzanian elections: What issues are young people concerned about?
As Tanzania gears up for elections on 29 October, we hear from two young people about the issues that matter to them and whether youth concerns have been featured in the electoral campaigns.How a young Senegalese footballer's dream of joining a professional club ended in tragedy ... Show More
33m 44s
Oct 2025
Focus on Africa: Hundreds of stolen social media identities used to spread propaganda
A BBC investigation uncovers dozens of social accounts using stolen identities of Somali and Muslim influencers and posting political propaganda content. We hear more about what was uncovered and who might be behind this widespread operation.Chad’s parliament has overwhelmingly a ... Show More
32m 11s
Oct 2025
Focus on Africa Can DRC be declared ebola free?
The last ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been released from a treatment centre in Kasai province. Can the country now be declared free of this latest outbreak?What is behind the escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea over control of the Red Sea ... Show More
29m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2024
Being unbanked
How easy is it to open a bank account in your country? Around the world, 1.4 billion people can’t get a bank account, and two-thirds of them are in low and middle income countries. People from migrant communities also struggle to access formal banking services. We hear from 19 ye ... Show More
18m 24s
Mar 2023
The unbanked
Oscar Bilayin Kudor runs a business in Ghana producing cassava flour. He wants to grow his business but traditional banks are reluctant to lend him the money to buy expensive machinery. 1.4 billion people around the world people can't get access to formal banking. Two thirds of t ... Show More
17m 57s
Aug 2021
Bonus: Financial Inclusion and Limits of a Cashless System | Ajay Banga
Roughly two billion people worldwide don't have access to banks or financial services like credit, insurance and investment. How do we bridge this divide? Former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga sits down with TED current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers to discuss how innovat ... Show More
17m 16s
Dec 2020
Financial inclusion, the digital divide and other thoughts on the future of money | Ajay Banga
Roughly two billion people worldwide don’t have access to banks or financial services like credit, insurance and investment -- or even a way to formally prove their identity. How do we bridge this divide? Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga sits down with TED current affairs curator Whitne ... Show More
20m 48s
Sep 2022
661. Insights: Can embedded finance bank the unbanked?
Our expert hosts, Ross Gallagher, is joined by some great guests to ask: "Will embedded finance bank the unbanked?" While you may think ‘unbanked’ and ‘underbanked’ applies to emerging markets, estimates from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) suggest 5.4 percent ... Show More
53m 15s
Jul 2023
Investing in Africa: What needs to change?
Large parts of sub-Saharan Africa are facing dire economic circumstances. The World Bank says more than one in three countries are either in severe financial distress, or are close to default. What’s gone wrong? In the first of a week of programmes, Ed Butler taking the pulse of ... Show More
18m 21s