Examining the Digital Financial Inclusion Gap Among Farmers in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria: An Empirical Study

Digital financial inclusion is a critical enabler of agricultural productivity and rural welfare in Nigeria, and the specific barriers preventing farmers in the North West zone from accessing digital financial services require empirical examination to guide targeted policy interventions. This study examines the dimensions and determinants of the digital financial inclusion gap among smallholder farmers in Zamfara State. A cross-sectional analytical survey was applied to 360 farmers across six local government areas in Zamfara, selected through multistage cluster sampling. Questionnaire variables included mobile money account ownership, digital payment usage frequency, mobile network access quality, financial literacy scores, smartphone ownership, distance to nearest financial service point, and household income. A structural model of digital financial inclusion determinants was developed and tested using structural equation modelling in AMOS. Available digital financial inclusion literature from North West Nigeria identifies mobile network coverage gaps and low digital literacy as the two strongest determinants of financial digital exclusion among rural farmers. The Financial Capability Framework and the Access to Finance Model by Demirguc-Kunt provide the analytical basis. Findings confirm that network quality and digital literacy jointly explain 71 percent of variance in digital financial inclusion probability, with agricultural income significantly moderating the literacy-inclusion relationship. This study fills an empirical gap on farm-level digital financial inclusion determinants specific to North West Nigeria. Recommendations address CBN rural agent banking expansion, agricultural digital literacy programmes, and mobile network operator rural coverage obligations. Keywords: digital financial inclusion, farmers, Zamfara State, North West Nigeria, mobile money.