Financial Inclusion as a Sustainable Development Imperative in Africa: Trends, Gaps, and Future Directions

Financial inclusion is vital for sustainable development across Africa, where digital innovations are transforming access to finance and sparking growing research attention. This paper conducts a bibliometric and content analysis of African financial inclusion research, drawing on 554 articles from the Web of Science Core Collection, renowned for its reliable and comprehensive coverage, to map the field's evolution from its first publication (2011–2025). Using performance indicators, co‐citation networks, and thematic mapping, our analysis reveals a rapidly expanding research field. South Africa and Ghana are the leading contributors, with research concentrated around four key themes: the socio‐economic effects of financial inclusion, digital finance adoption, linkages to sustainable development, and financial resilience in the face of climate change. By integrating these research streams into a conceptual framework, the study provides a foundation for four strategic policy priorities: expanding inclusion in the poorest countries, improving cross‐border financial regulation, supporting context‐specific digital innovation, and strengthening financial literacy. These findings deliver robust empirical and practical guidance to guide policymakers and financial institutions in building inclusive, evidence‐based financial systems aligned with Africa's SDGs.