Publications

This research project was on assessing the effects of agency banking on accessibility tofinancial services in commercial banks in the Northern Province of Rwanda. The studyadopted a descriptive research design. The population was 555 agents under which samplesize was 233 people found using the Yamae formula. The study used a stratified and simplerandom sampling method. Also, different research instruments of data collection were usedwhich include: journals, articles, document analysis and questionnaires. The reliability ofthe study was tested by carrying out pilot research and found that Cronbach's Alpha of .831.The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 and data was presented using tables,percentages, means, and standard deviations. To analyze the relationship between twovariables, Pearson Chi-Square and Pearson correlation were used to come up withcomprehensive results. It was clear from the study that strategic responses to theimplementation of agency banking as a competitive strategy in enhancing customers’ accessto financial services included the provision of high-quality customer service, enhancing theoperational structure and improving the brand image. The study established that operationalstructure, brand image and financial services awareness among the rural population arepositively correlated (r = 0.805) with access to financial services. Access to financial serviceswas greatly enhanced by strategically increasing the proximity of agency banking services,increasing the number of services that could be offered through agency banking andincreasing awareness among the population on financial services available at agency bankingoutlets.Keywords: Agency banking, Financial Services, Commercial banks, Customers, Ruralpopulatio