Context
How can behaviorally informed messaging improve productive uptake of digital credit?
The Nigerian Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program (GEEP) is amongst the handful of government-led low-cost microloan programs that are serving to bridge the MSME and farmer credit access gap. The goal of GEEP is to increase access to microloans to facilitate MSME investment in working capital for growth and job creation. Under the GEEP program, individuals who were unable to access these government microloans where encouraged to apply for a new loan product provided by one of the nations mobile operators called 9mobile.
Many GEEP borrowers were unable to access MarketMoni loans given the BVN requirements to register. As a result, GEEP developed an alternative, two-week lending product that facilitated disbursement through a mobile money provider. Yet, at initial promotion, few customers adopted the product for a number of reasons. GEEP commissioned Busara to test different message frames to increase uptake of the new, short-term loan product.