Modelling the financial intermediation function of banks and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of financial intermediation functions of banks on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs data from 11 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 1970–2016. Using broad money supply, bank credit to the private sector and bank deposits as financial intermediation measures, the authors apply the random effects (RE) technique based on the recommendation of the Breusch–Pagan test. Findings – The results show that except for bank deposits, broad money supply and bank credit to the private sector significantly influence economic growth. While broad money has a negative relationship with growth, bank credit to the private sector and bank deposits are positively correlated with economic growth. Originality/value – The relationship between financial intermediation and economic growth remains unsettled, as results vary across countries. Besides, in developing countries' perspective, extant studies are largely focused on individual countries to investigate the financial intermediation-growth nexus. In this study, the authors take a different direction by employing a panel approach and thus adding to the few cross-country studies on the subject matter. Also, unlike other studies that have focused on a single indicator of financial intermediation, this study uses three indicators of financial intermediation which broadly reflect the intermediation functions of banks.

Keywords

• Financial intermediation
• Economic growth
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Random effects