MSc Information Systems Dissertation: E-Payment Adoption in Liberia

This dissertation proposal outlines a study on the adoption of electronic payment systems in Liberia. The research aims to identify the factors influencing the adoption of electronic payment systems, explore the current state of e-commerce and digital banking in Liberia, and propose strategies to encourage greater adoption. The study will use a survey-based approach, collecting data from users and merchants in urban areas of Liberia, employing descriptive statistics to analyze the gathered information. The proposal highlights the significance of electronic payment systems in the evolving digital economy of Liberia, addressing the need to overcome challenges such as limited infrastructure and cash-based transactions. It also reviews existing literature on electronic payment systems, focusing on factors like applicability, anonymity, efficiency, ease of use, and security. The research questions include the conceptual understanding of electronic payment systems, factors influencing their adoption, and strategies to promote their use. The proposal emphasizes the importance of understanding the social, infrastructural, and political context of Liberia in order to facilitate the successful implementation of new payment systems.

DISSERTATION PROPOSAL FORM
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Name Kollie U Zayzay Student Number
Course MSc Information Systems
Provisional Title of Your Dissertation.
Adoption of Electronic Payment Systems in Liberia
Describe the topic(s) or issue(s) you wish to investigate for your Dissertation.
These must relate to the subjects that comprise your programme of study, and must
clearly indicate what your aims /objectives / research questions will be.
Describe the topic or issue
The electronic payment system is an essential part of electronic commerce and business.
It is highly significant for making further development. But, traditional modes for paying
against products and services were not performed sound as compared to the electronic
payment in Liberia. In offline environments, different current payment modes are used by
Liberians like credit cards are highly adopted as an indication of payment on the internet.
But users do not see in them adequate trust, security, and reliability (Govindaraj and
Herbst, 2017). The current payment system is far from ideal of merchants due to high
level of transaction expenses, fraudulent practices, and multiple parties are considered in
the payment processing system. These issues result in unwilling respondents for users
involved in e-commerce practices and this condition, in turn, may influence the firm who
are losing potential consumers (Svärd, 2018).
New payment modes, particularly created on internet can create some issues. For

example, server down in electronic payment system could create issue and that results in
declining users of electronic payment modes. The requirement for user-friendly and new
well-performing payment mode is essential for electronic payment system in Liberia.
These modes can attain the requirements of merchants and users as well as, depicts the
potential opportunity related to acceptance by mass population (Almazán-Casali, Alfaro,
and Sikra, 2019).
In current scenario, the private sector in e-commerce focuses on ICT infrastructure and
policy development. In Liberia, the digital economy is evolving and that is in the early
phase of maturity. There is also increasing grasp of e-commerce in the policy and private
sector circles. But a common vision is yet to occur. In the context of public sector firm,
there is an uneven understanding of e-commerce and the overall landscape that does not
available (Alao, 2017).
Moreover, specific approach of e-commerce is not available but there is development in
current strategy of associated fields like revisions to national telecommunication
approach. Furthermore, internet policy related to Liberia suffers through visible absence
and weak focuses regarding services. Along with this, different companies are focusing
on electronic payments at some extent in policymaking. Progress is made with respect to
inter-agency coordination by the creation of working groups in particular policy fields
like payment systems. But there are no particular e-commerce coordination groups
available (Ighobor, 2017).
The payment system is inadequate hence it wastes the time and money of both
government of Liberia and workers. Although, these issues of payment modes are existed
for a longer period hence recent Ebola epidemic brought has provided new attention to
overcome these challenges. Since, there is number of workers who have promised but
they are failed to receive as well as, there is hazard payments system for working in
outbreak time. It can prompt the high number of employees to go on a foray in the middle
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of the Ebola outbreak (Tarr-Attia, et. al., 2018).
Due to complexity about Liberian setting, it is difficult that any planned execution about
new payment system could be preceded through sound comprehension of the social,
infrastructural, and political context of this nation. Intrinsically, this fact serves to detail
about Liberian specific factors. It could deal as a barrier for the execution of mobile
money payment mode for employees (Prust, et. al., 2018).
The Liberian market has limited infrastructure for payment. Along with this, UNCDF and
IMF are working with banks for creating feasible technologies and regulations in order to
identify the critical gap. Along with this, guidelines of mobile money exist however they
have a lack of clarity as well as, limit the role related to some key rivalry (Levey, et. al.,
2018).
But, the needs of the market for alternative financial service platforms may appear to be
effective. This recommends a chance for mobile money as well as, branchless banking. In
order to focus on factors that may affect adoption of an electronic payment system within
Liberia, this research study is conducted. Under this study, tradition (credit cards as well
as, cash) together with, electronic payment mode (smart cards, debits, and credit cards on
the internet) would be identified (Kalba, 2016).
In Liberia, 90% of the population do traditional banking methods. All transaction is cash
base thereby creating a shortage of cash (Bustinza, 2018). Due to this, the need to move
to a digital banking or e-payment is highly necessary to eliminate the current issue.
Background
The problems related to electronic payment systems are facing at the present moment. It
could be illustrated as a failure in order to identify the needs and requirements of users in
the deployment and designing of the system. It can be recommended that in designing the
electronic payment systems, there are not only need to focus on technologies but also
need to focus on user-associated factors (Smith-Omomo, 2018). In spite of good
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technical solutions, it could not be accepted through end-users and there are chances to
get fail of the whole system. The existing research describes the needs related to
electronic payment system and does not provide a rationalization for a choice of needs.
This omission could be misleading in the context of backers and designers about
electronic payment systems (Klapper and Singer, 2017).
There is a certain requirement for user feedback on these concerns. It is recommended
that it is significant to understand what characteristics of payment systems have directly
affect acceptance of user. Therefore, survey could be used with the intention of
evaluating the attitude of users that concerns the different features about payment modes
(Odero and Ndolo, 2019).
These investigated features are cited in literature such as applicability (competency for
paying with a payment system at diverse aspects for sale, anonymity (concealing the
identity of customers), and authorization type (competency for performing online and
offline payments). Another feature is efficiency (competency of payment modes to
service small and micropayment), ease of use (usability), traceability (competency for
tracing sources of income, money, and physical availability), scalability and reliability
(competency for accepting new users who do not have performance degradation, security,
and faith (Smith-Omomo, 2018).
In addition to this, interoperability is supportive of protocols and open standards. There
are different characteristics associated with payment modes like scalability, approval
type, and interoperability that would not be considered in questionnaire due to their
precise and technical side. These features could be significant to accept the user however
they are visible for individuals and do not affect communication at time of practicing
payment. Moreover, further investigation would shed more focus on these concerns
(Klapper and Singer, 2017).
Furthermore, electronic payment is illustrated as cash and related transactions that could
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be applied via electronically. It entails the application of computer networks like digital
stored value modes and internet. The modes permit bills for compensating directly via
bank accounts and without account holder. There is no need to give their presence in the
bank and no need to send any mail, and writing cheques (Odero and Ndolo, 2019). In
Liberia, electronic retail payments are incessantly created and that results in replacing
and declining paper-based payments. There is different new payment system that have
come into occurrence within current times and number of them is relied on technical
inventions like telephone, cards, and internet (Smith-Omomo, 2018).
Aims
The aim of this investigation is to address adoption of electronic payment systems with
respect to Liberia. Another aim is to identify the factors affecting adoption of electronic
payment systems.
Objectives
RO1: To explore conceptual understanding about electronic payment systems
RO2: To address factors influencing adoption of electronic payment systems in Liberia
RO3: To recommend the strategy to encourage adoption of electronic payment systems in
Liberia
Research questions
RQ1: What is conceptual understanding of electronic payment systems?
RQ2: Which factors can influence adoption of electronic payment systems with reference
to Liberia?
RQ3: Which strategy could be used for encouraging adoption of electronic payment
systems with reference to Liberia?
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What facts or information will you need to gather? How will you access these?
Data collection method
In order to reveal the significance of features related to payment systems, a survey would
be conducted on customers who use electronic mode in Liberia. The survey would be
done with the application of close-ended questionnaire and will be sent through online
mode. Participants would be chosen from some urban areas of Liberia who highly use
electronic payment system. In addition, participants are daily users related to electronic
and traditional payment systems (Kalba, 2016). There are a number of respondents who
have made payments on the internet. The sample would be balanced in demographic
concepts. Moreover, participants would be employed in social institutes and diverse
industries. There would be no bias on the basis of age and sex. The occupation of
participants would not be related to payment systems. For data analysis, descriptive
statistics would be used to analyse the gathered information (Levey, et. al., 2018).
Process of data access
A simple random sampling technique would be implemented for choosing individuals
and merchants in order to respond to a questionnaire. Data collected through survey
would be assessed via Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The
SPSS would be implemented for transformation of data, pie charts, as well as, running
about cross-tabulation. The sample size for this investigation would be 150 people of
Liberia (Prust, et. al, 2018).
To which subject area(s) is this proposal - in your view - most strongly related?
The subject area is related to IT sectors. In this area, it identifies the evolution of
electronic payment systems as well as, factors can influence the selection of e-payment
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systems. The rapid growth in information and communication technology (ICT) is
rapidly transforming the way of business in current times. Under Liberia, new electronic
payment systems are initiated at an increasing rate and is prospected by this trend. Along
with this, electronic and communication technologies is widely practiced in banking for
several years to make advance system in the context of banking (Tarr-Attia, et. al., 2018).
As an application of technology is increasing, banks have created new technological
innovations in order to provide financial services like telephone banking, branch
networking, electronic funds transfer at point of sale, automated teller machine (ATM),
and internet banking in Liberia (Ighobor, 2017).
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References
Alao, A., 2017. The burden of collective goodwill: The international involvement in the
Liberian civil war. Routledge.
Almazán-Casali, S., Alfaro, J.F. and Sikra, S., 2019. Exploring household willingness to
participate in solid waste collection services in Liberia. Habitat International, 84, pp.57-64.
Bustinza, E. 2018. Revolutionizing Payday: Mobile Money’s Transformative Impact on
Liberia’s Public Workers. [Online]. Available at: https://nextbillion.net/revolutionizing-
payday-mobile-moneys-transformative-impact-on-liberias-public-workers/ (Accessed: 08
January 2020).
Govindaraj, R. and Herbst, C.H. eds., 2017. Strengthening post-Ebola health systems: from
response to resilience in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The World Bank.
Ighobor, K., 2017. Africa’s quest for a cashless economy gains momentum. Africa
Renewal, 31(1), pp.16-17.
Kalba, K., 2016. Explaining the mobile money adoption-usage gap. Communications &
Strategies, (103), p.113.
Klapper, L. and Singer, D., 2017. The Opportunities and Challenges of Digitizing
Government-to-Person Payments. The World Bank Research Observer, 32(2), pp.211-226.
Levey, E.J., Laird, L.D., Becker, A.E., Harris, B.L., Lekpeh, G.G., Oppenheim, C.E.,
Henderson, D.C. and Borba, C.P., 2018. Narratives of agency and capability from two
adolescent girls in post-conflict Liberia. Culture, medicine, and psychiatry, 42(4), pp.947-
979.
Odero, M.A. and Ndolo, J., 2019. Influence of managerial commitment on e-procurement
adoption in Kakamega County. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change
Management, 6(2), pp.2161-2175.
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Prust, M.L., Curry, L., Callands, T.A., Drakes, J., McLean, K., Harris, B. and Hansen, N.B.,
2018. Risk factors for and consequences of substance use in post-conflict Liberia: a
qualitative study. Community mental health journal, 54(4), pp.438-449.
Smith-Omomo, J., 2018. African Indigenous Financial Institutions: The Case of Congo and
Liberia. Springer.
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flow of information in Liberia?. Information Development, 34(1), pp.20-30.
Tarr-Attia, C.K., Bassat, Q., Breeze-Barry, B., Lansana, D.P., García-Sípido, A.M.,
Sarukhan, A., Maixenchs, M., Mayor, A. and Martínez-Pérez, G., 2018. Community-
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