FSD Kenya has been facilitating market actors to strengthen information eco-systems to support evidence-based decision making since 2005. In particular, FSD Kenya has been supporting the development of the FinAccess surveys and related products such as an MSE tracker survey, a framework for financial health and a data dashboard for financial inclusion.
The value of these information goods for the market has prompted FSD Kenya’s key research partners in government, the Central Bank of Kenya and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, to build their capacity in these areas and take over the bulk of investment1. However, there is still a gap in the use of data for policy and innovation and its potential to influence action.
This centres on deeper analysis and targeted communications — developing outputs that speak to policy and industry audiences and are tractable in informing change. In 2022, to improve the value of market information for policy, FSD Kenya commissioned a series of deep dive studies to mine FinAccess data beyond headline numbers, and ask the hard questions:
The Financial Inclusion Statistics Conference, the first of its kind, was held in November 2022 and was organised by the CBK and KNBS with support from FSD Kenya. Aside from the deep dive panels, the conference included presentations from regulators and students as well as global partners, attracting over 1,500 virtual and in-person participants.
The highlight of the conference was the launch of the first FinAccess Household Survey County Report. by the Cabinet Secretary, The National Treasury and Economic Planning, Professor Njuguna Ndung’u. The level of investment and participation that went into the conference from a wide range of stakeholders, showed impressive commitment to the goal of deriving value from demand-side data, and the potential of data to inform and influence inclusive market development.
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