Digital Tontines and the Informal Economy: A Review of E-Susu Adoption, Contribution Adherence, and Payout Allocation Among Abidjan's Taxi Drivers

The review examines a monograph analysing the integration of digital financial tools within West Africa's extensive informal sector. It focuses on the transformation of traditional rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs), known locally as *susu*, into digital platforms, termed e-susu, within a specific occupational community. This book review critically assesses the monograph's investigation into the drivers of e-susu adoption, the factors influencing contribution adherence, and the decision-making processes behind payout allocation among informal transport workers in a major West African metropolis. The review evaluates the monograph's mixed-methods research design, which combined quantitative surveys of taxi driver participants with in-depth qualitative interviews and observational data to triangulate findings on financial behaviours. The monograph finds that digitalisation significantly increased contribution consistency, with adherence rates improving by an estimated 40% compared to informal, cash-based systems. A key theme is that payouts are predominantly allocated for business reinvestment and emergency expenses, rather than discretionary consumption. The work convincingly argues that e-susu platforms enhance financial discipline and security for informal workers, representing a viable hybrid model that digitises trust-based communal finance without eroding its social foundations. Future research should explore the scalability of this model to other informal sectors and geographical contexts. Policymakers and fintech developers are urged to design products that accommodate the irregular cash flows characteristic of informal livelihoods. Digital tontines, e-susu, informal economy, financial inclusion, ROSCAs, West Africa, mobile money The monograph's novel contribution is its granular, occupation-specific analysis of the behavioural economics behind contribution adherence and payout utilisation in digitised informal finance, providing a nuanced counterpoint to broader adoption studies.