Designing and evaluating women-centred financial inclusion interventions in Zambia: A theory-to-methods policy framework

Abstract

This policy paper synthesises evidence on how financial literacy, financial capability, and empowerment mechanisms shape women’s financial inclusion in Zambia’s informal market settings, with particular attention to the conditions under which digital financial services translate access into sustained usage. Grounded in the human capabilities approach and empowerment framework, and drawing further on the technology acceptance model and moderated mediation theory, the paper develops a theory-to-methods intervention logic that links capability building, empowerment strengthening, and ecosystem-enabling reforms. Using a systematic narrative synthesis approach, the article consolidates peer-reviewed and policy evidence on (i) capability constraints, (ii) gendered power relations, and (iii) digital access barriers that moderate inclusion outcomes. The paper concludes that women-centred inclusion requires bundled interventions: skills and consumer protection, reliable and affordable digital rails, and linkage models that connect savings groups to formal providers. Policy recommendations prioritise market-level diagnostics, targeted capability programmes, and scalable linkage designs aligned to Zambia’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy. The study also contributes to the emerging literature on institutional and environmental factors moderating organisational and social outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa.