Digital financial service adoption decisions of semi-urban Ghanaian university students – implications for enterprise development and job creation

PurposeThis paper reports results of an investigation into semi-urban Ghanaian university youths' attitude to digitized financial services (DFSs) and the determinants of their adoption decisions.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative cross-sectional research approach was used. Three hundred and seventy-five (375) university students were randomly selected from a semi-urban town in Ghana to test the applicability of technology acceptance model (TAM) within such a context. Structural equation modeling was employed to assess stated hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate a high penetration of digital financial services among the students, which confirms the applicability of TAM for such studies. The results further suggest that DFS provides a pathway to financial inclusion and can stimulate small enterprise development and job creation in Ghana's semi-urban communities.Originality/valueHitherto, little academic attention has been given to digitization of financial services in semi-urban African towns. The study contributes to filling this research gap.