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100			_aAkpan, Usenobong and Umaru, Aminu _960147
245			_a Can the e-naira foster financial inclusion in Nigeria? Evidence from structural equation model
260			_aJournal of Social and Economic Development
300			_a27(3), Dec, 2025: p.863-881
520			_aIn this paper, we evaluate the extent to which the e-Naira can bridge the financial inclusion gap in Nigeria. From a survey design of a well-structured questionnaire, we subject the field dataset to the structural equation model (SEM), which combines factor analysis with multiple regression. The choice of SEM also follows from its capacity to handle complex and difficult data that may be non-normal and incomplete. Our results indicate that enhancing access to, quality of, and usage of the e-Naira could have a positive and significant influence on financial inclusion in Nigeria. In particular, we found that a unit increase in e-Naira’s access, usage, and quality could, respectively, lead to a 0.18%, 0.32%, and 0.38% increase in financial inclusion in Nigeria. The results were robust to various standard diagnostic tests. Consequently, the paper provides strong support for the need to further promote access, usage, and quality of the e-Naira in Nigeria as part of the strategies for enhancing financial inclusion in the country.- Reproduced https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40847-024-00407-8
773			_aJournal of Social and Economic Development
942			_cAR