Digital Financial Inclusion Policy and Small Business Growth in Ogun State, South West Nigeria

This study examines how digital financial inclusion policies are shaping the growth of small businesses in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. As Nigeria accelerates its cashless economy agenda and expands mobile money penetration, small and micro enterprises in peri-urban and rural Ogun State are navigating opportunities and barriers created by digital financial platforms. Drawing on financial inclusion theory and recent fintech policy literature from 2020 to 2024, the study adopts a descriptive survey design. A total of 245 small business owners, commercial bank agents, and financial technology regulatory officials are sampled from four local government areas in Ogun State using stratified random sampling. Data are collected through structured questionnaires and interviews and analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. The study expects to find that mobile money adoption has improved access to working capital, payment systems, and savings products for small businesses, though digital literacy gaps, network connectivity deficits, and agent liquidity problems remain significant barriers. The study also examines how the Central Bank of Nigeria's financial inclusion strategy and the National Information Technology Development Agency's digital economy policy interact at the enterprise level. Recommendations will address regulatory harmonisation, digital skills training for small business owners, and agent network expansion in underserved areas of Ogun State. Keywords: digital financial inclusion, small business, fintech, Ogun State, cashless economy