Oluwaseun Kolade

Is women empowerment a zero sum game? Unintended consequences of microfinance for women’s empowerment in Ghana

Purpose: Against the background of growing concerns that development interventions can sometimes be a zero-sum game, this paper examines the unintended consequences of microfinance for women empowerment in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs a participatory mixed-method approach including household questionnaire surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews to investigate the dynamics of microfinance effects on women in communities of different vulnerability status in Ghana. Findings: The results of hierarchical regression, triadic closure and thematic analyses demonstrate that the economic benefits of microfinance for women is also directly associated with conflicts amongst spouses, girl child labour, polygyny and the neglect of perceived female-domestic responsibilities due to women’s devotion to their enterprises. Originality/value: In the light of limited empirical evidence on potentially negative impacts of women empowerment interventions in Africa, this paper fills a critical gap in knowledge that will enable NGOs, policy makers and other stakeholders to design and implement more effective interventions that mitigate undesirable consequences.

Institutional barriers to successful innovations : perceptions of rural farmers and key stakeholders in southwest Nigeria

Diffusion studies in sub-Saharan Africa have typically focused on the impact of traditional adoption factors on uptake of technological innovations. This study draws on semi-structured interviews of rural farmers and in-depth interviews of stakeholders in southwest Nigeria to examine the impact of institutional factors on the success of technological innovations. The findings indicate that government policies, markets, financial institutions, infrastructure and other institutional conditions play significant role on the success of technological innovations. A successful innovation package should integrate institutional reforms with promotion of innovative inputs, and vibrant farmers’ cooperatives can be at the heart of such agrarian reform.

Technological constraints to firm performance: the moderating effects of firm linkages and cooperation

© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Manufacturing and services SMEs in Africa face challenges and constraints exacerbated by ineffectual government policies, environmental turbulence and the near absence of institutional support. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if informal linkages and formal cooperation are helping firms to overcome constraints to uptake of technological innovations in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on quantitative data obtained from structured interviews of 631 Nigerian firms. These firms were selected using stratified random sampling from a total population of 18,906 manufacturing and services companies in the national database obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics. Findings: The result of the binary logistic regression indicates that while informal linkages appear to be insignificant, formal inter-firm cooperation is an effective moderator of barriers to technological innovations. Research limitations/implications: The paper focusses only on technological, rather than non-technological, innovations. Practical implications: The paper recommends that, in addition to other interventions to promote diffusion of technological innovations, governments should give priority to interventions that support formal cooperation among SMEs. Originality/value: Previous studies have generally looked at the impact of cooperative networks on firms’ innovation uptake. This paper provides original insights into the “how” of cooperative impact, specifically with respect to helping SMEs to overcome constraints. The paper also delineates formal cooperation from informal linkages.

Venturing under fire: Entrepreneurship education, venture creation, and poverty reduction in conflict-ridden Maiduguri, Nigeria

Purpose: This paper examines how a new entrepreneurship education intervention offered at conflict-ridden Maiduguri, Nigeria is having transformative impacts through new venture creation and poverty reduction. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a single case study approach, drawing from in-depth interviews of participants, experts and facilitators of the entrepreneurship training, in addition to relevant memos and documents. Findings: The findings indicate that the entrepreneurship education programme is, by generating awareness and facilitating skill development, contributing to new venture creation, poverty reduction and positive change in mindset. However, the impact is limited by inadequate support through venture capital and limited facilities for business incubation. Limitations: This study is limited in its focus on entrepreneurship education provided for university undergraduates and graduates. Further research should explore interventions aimed at less educated youth in the region, and in other conflict contexts. Practical implications: The study suggests that entrepreneurship education facilitates youth empowerment through venture creation, in the process transforming them from aggrieved outsiders to active stakeholders in societal peace and national prosperity. Originality/value: The nascent theory of transformative entrepreneuring identifies poverty reduction and conflict resolution as the main mechanisms. This paper focuses on how entrepreneurship education triggers new venture creation, which in turn contributes to poverty reduction and overall change in mindset of otherwise unemployed and aggrieved youths.