In an era driven by technology and digitalization, the financial services sector has been undergoing transformations with the potential to bridge the gap between banked and underbanked populations. In Ghana, Fidelity Bank has been a pioneer in promoting financial literacy, a critical step on the road to improved financial services access.

Under the Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project, funded by the European Union’s Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) supported Fidelity Bank and technology platform Viamo to launch the Efie Ni Efie (Home Sweet Home) project, an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) infoline that shared financial literacy-related messages with Fidelity Bank customers and the public. Recorded in local languages, the infoline’s messages aimed to encourage positive saving and borrowing behaviour, to raise awareness of the benefits of opening and using a bank account and to walk listeners through the onboarding process.

This case study draws on Efie Ni Efie’s experiences to explore the potential of IVR technology to cost-effectively reach a large number of people with financial literacy content and to serve as an efficient customer acquisition mechanism. Specifically, it investigates whether IVR can drive content engagement, impact participants’ saving behaviour and benefit both financial institutions and the underbanked populations they serve.