Tuesday, June 20, 2017

VIDEO on Remittances, E-Money, and Mobile Banking: The Migratory Corridor between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast

In keeping with IMTFI's dissemination efforts and commitment to inclusive conversations and dialogue around the research of money, the institute is pleased to have supported the following video of highlights from the 5-day Learning Event in Abidjan, based on Solène Morvant-Roux, Simon Barrusaud, and Dieudonné Ilboudo’s research project “Cross-border Transfers as a Strategic Tool to Promote the Diffusion of Mobile Money in Rural Areas. The Case of Burkinabe Diaspora Living in Ivory Coast”.

For those working on remittances, this video is a significant resource for researchers in academia, industry and policy who want their interventions to be guided by data and perspectives and evidence from people's lives. 




This event, held in October 2016, was funded by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (KFPE) and in collaboration with the University of Geneva, INERA (Ouagadougou), CIRES (Abidjan), and University Felix Houphouët Boigny (Abidjan), bringing together researchers, students, practitioners and policymakers from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Switzerland to discuss research insights on mobile money and those working on financial, spatial and socio-economic dimensions of migration in the corridor between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.


Opening session, University Félix Houphouët Boigny, Abidjan.
Photo Credit: University of Geneva
In addition, the event featured presentations by scholars and researchers from different disciplines, training sessions on research methodologies, and discussions on challenges faced by researchers. These activities and the ensuing conversations were generative for the participants to learn from each other, forge friendships and explore avenues for future collaboration. 

Audience, side session, CIRES, Abidjan.
Photo Credit : University of Geneva

Added value

Some students highlighted the importance of getting methodological training for different research methods (qualitative and quantitative). Others mentioned that some of the results shared during the discussions made them think differently and allowed them to broaden the scope of their own research. An online platform was built to enable the students and researchers to continue interacting and sharing research outputs. 

In conclusion

"On migration issues we talked about transfer and introduction of new technologies in these money transfer services...At the international level within two countries through a fairly specific migration corridor. I believe this allowed us to shed light and provoke a debate on an old phenomenon which is constantly evolving and multidimensional. It has both economic and social dimensions, and of course, political dimensions. I saw the emergence of interactions between Ivorians and Burkinabese students creating a bond of friendship. The future will tell us what it will give."
-Prof. Solène Morvant-Roux (UNIGE) 

"What we want to do after this Learning Event is to come up with a big project that will make it possible to identify all the dynamics of transfers via new channels including mobile money channels, nationally and glimpse the different links that this can induce on financial inclusion and on the participation of households in financial activities."'
-Prof. Sylvère Konan (UFHS)

Contact : Prof. Benoît Ogni-Kanga (UFHB) benoitkanga@yahoo.fr ; Prof. Solène Morvant-Roux (UNIGE) solene.morvant@unige.ch and Simon Barussaud (Unige) Simon.Barussaud@unige.ch


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