Abstract

The objective of this review article is to show the concepts and significance of financial literacy and how it can contribute to improving socio economic wellbeing, financial sector development, poverty reduction and sustainable growth in developing countries in Africa. The review covered recent literatures on financial literacy; both theoretical and empirical. The review showed that level of financial literacy is low both in developed and developing countries, but policy and academic response in developing countries in general and Africa in particular is at low level.  The results of limited empirical studies implemented to evaluate financial education programs, including those in few African countries, showed that enhancing financial literacy and personal financial decision making capabilities of people would enhance the outcome of financial inclusion and other poverty reduction initiatives for the fact financially literate people can demand and properly use beneficial financial services such as savings, microcredit, insurance.  Moreover, enhancing financial literacy is at the advantage of financial service providers and contributes to the development of a stable financial system, a sustainable economic growth. Thus, policy makers and academics in African developing countries need to understand the level of financial literacy in the population in order to devise suitable financial education and other related policy interventions to improve personal financial literacy for its benefits of enhancing individual socio economic welfare and building an inclusive financial system and sustainable economic growth.

Key words: Financial literacy, concept and significance, developing countries, African.