Financial inclusion which can be explained as access to formal financial services such as credit, savings and insurance opportunities is still very vague in developing countries such as Nigeria where there is high level of poverty. The country has a large number of ‗unbanked' people whose business activities are not captured in the country's economic reports. These ‗unbanked' populaces are illiterates who are either unemployed or under-employed and lack access to financial services and information and are totally excluded in the financial ecosystem and market. Hence, this paper examines the role of financial inclusion in the reduction of poverty in Nigeria. It examines the roles of government and financial institutions and the use of various mobile initiatives such as mobile banking, mobile money, agent banking etc. as financial inclusion tools to stimulate poverty reduction. Time series analysis on data obtained from secondary sources between the periods of 1992 and 2016 was adopted and the paper covered financial inclusion as it relates to unbanked people in Nigeria. The paper found out that majority of the ‗unbanked' in Nigeria are low income people who do not have access to financial services and information on financial inclusion. While few are timid on the need to use a bank, many them are willing to use banking services and believe the availability of these services will help improve their economic condition. The paper therefore recommends that the banks should be encouraged to continue to take advantage of all the financial inclusion policies of the government in mobilizing funds from the informal sector into the banking system. This can be best done by increasing the number of customers within the financial system as a tool for encouraging financial inclusion and stimulating the economy and thereby reducing poverty in the country.

Since the turn of the Century, African economies have undergone considerable transformation, with consistent and robust growth, in sharp contrast to decades of slow or even negative growth, which characterized the 1970s into the 1990s. While the region's economies slowed down from an average of 5.6% during the period 2002-2008 to 2.2% in 2009, in the wake of the global financial crisis; Africa promptly recovered, with an average growth rate of 4.6% in 2010 and 6.2% in 2012, as well as 4.0 and 4.3% for 2013 and 2014, respectively. In Sub-Saharan Africa, economic growth is even more robust, averaging about 6% over the past decade. This development has made the region to be acknowledged with the second highest economic growth in the world in recent times. However, contemporary economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is largely unaccompanied by employment generation or increased livelihood opportunities. Consequently, poverty levels across the region remain relatively high, at 48% of the population. The challenges posed by lack of inclusive growth are particularly evident in Angola and Nigeria, countries that feature economies driven by the petroleum industry. Therefore, the major objective of this paper is to shed light on the challenges associated with lack of inclusive growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper employs empirical data to analyze Angola and Nigeria case studies, which reveal both countries as resource-rich economies featuring relatively high economic profiles, devoid of widespread employment opportunities, with grave consequences for endemic poverty. Consequently, the paper presents a policy framework, grounded in poverty reduction strategies, enterprise development and capacity building aimed at promoting broad-based economic growth as the cornerstone of African economies.--

Purpose: This study jointly examines the impact of financial management and organizational culture on the performance of SMEs in Nigeria with particular reference to Oyo State. Methods Purposive sampling techniques were employed to select a total of 658 SME operators/managers engaging in trading, manufacturing, services, Agro-allied, and construction. Mean, and least square method of estimation was used to analyze the data. Results: The result reveals that financial management and organizational culture jointly and independently influence SMEs’ performance. The study further reveals that SMEs are ready to imbibe financial management culture if adequate training on financial skills is provided for the sector by the government, accounting professional bodies, and the tertiary institution of learning, which will foster the growth of entrepreneurship and prudently manage their finances. Implications: The implication of this study is that for the sector to swimming in prosperity, SMEDAN should make the certificate in financial management culture as of the prerequisites for the registration. Also, the Federal Ministry of Education should introduce financial management culture into curricula for all tertiary institutions of learning as well as accounting professional bodies in Nigeria.