Alleviating Poverty through the Use of Entrepreneurship Skill Acquisition in Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract - This study assessed the impact of entrepreneurship skill acquisition on poverty in Kogi State of Nigeria. The study made use of primary data collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, which were administered by well-trained enumerator to beneficiaries of entrepreneurship acquisition skills randomly sampled from six Local Government Area of the state. The data collected through the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics like frequencies and percentages. The result shows that 65% of the respondents accepted that lack of entrepreneurship skills among youth is responsible for the high rate of poverty in Nigeria. The result also revealed that at least 60% of the people that benefitted from the skill acquisition programme can now afford the basic necessity of life. The study therefore recommended that since most of the people that benefited from the programme could afford the basic necessity of life, the government should begin to think of the way of developing the programme to the status of poverty eradication programme. Keywords     : Entrepreneur; Vocation; Skill acquisition; Poverty; Alleviation; OptimumPaper Type : Research Pape

Student Engagement at the Higher Learning Institutions: the Case of Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates

- Universities in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), just like other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), strive to be at the forefront of academic excellence. Towards this end, HEIs endeavour to provide their students, their primary clientele with the most conducive learning environment in order to maximise their potentials and prepare them to the real world of work. Do the students really make the most of the learning experiences in the university? Are the students really actively engaged in the teaching programmes and learning activities provided by the university? What might be the implications of student engagement to curriculum, instruction, policy and decision making, and educational administration? This paper focused on the level of academic challenge provided to students. In this study, academic challenge was based on study time and course requirements for reading, writing, and application of higher-order thinking skills rather than on student judgments of the difficulty of the coursework (Carini and Kuh, 2003). Specifically, this investigation attempted to ascertain the types of engagement activities at the HEIs of Malaysia and the UAE. Interesting findings are presented, and recommendations are offered in light of student engagement in the context of higher education

Alleviating Poverty Through the Use of Entrepreneurship Skill Acquisition in Kogi State, Nigeria

- This study assessed the impact of entrepreneurship skill acquisition on poverty in Kogi State of Nigeria. The study made use of primary data collected with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire, which were administered by well-trained enumerator to beneficiaries of entrepreneurship acquisition skills randomly sampled from six Local Government Area of the state. The data collected through the questionnaire was analyzed using descriptive statistics like frequencies and percentages. The result shows that 65% of the respondents accepted that lack of entrepreneurship skills among youth is responsible for the high rate of poverty in Nigeria. The result also revealed that at least 60% of the people that benefitted from the skill acquisition programme can now afford the basic necessity of life. The study therefore recommended that since most of the people that benefited from the programme could afford the basic necessity of life, the government should begin to think of the way of developing the programme to the status of poverty eradication programme. Keywords : Entrepreneur; Vocation; Skill acquisition; Poverty; Alleviation; OptimumPaper Type : Research Pape

Insecurity and Economic Development in Nigeria

The continuous rise in Insecurity and deterioration in the economic development in Nigeria call for a concern among researchers and policy makers over the years.  However, these two hydra-headed problems still remain the greatest challenges facing nations all over the world. This study therefore, examines the implication of insecurity on economic development in Nigeria. With the use of trend analysis, descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation of failed state index, human development index and Legatum’s prosperity index, the study reveal an inverse relationship between insecurity and economic development in the country. to ensure economic development in Nigeria therefore, the study recommends various measures of curbing insecurity including preventive community policing, human development centered growth perspective, equitable distribution of resources as well as channeling of resources to frontline sectors of the economy among others. Keywords: Insecurity, economic development, failed state index, prosperity inde

LENDING RATE AND MANUFACTURING SECTOR GROWTH IN NIGERIA

This study examined the impact of lending rate on the growth of manufacturing sector in Nigeria from 1986 to 2020. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation technique was employed for achieving the objectives of the study. The OLS analysis showed that there exists a positive and insignificant impact of lending rate on the growth of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria, indicating that lending rate does not impede the activities and the performances of the Nigerian manufacturing sector. It also revealed that there exists a negative and insignificant impact of inflation rate on the growth of the manufacturing sector in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommended that Central Bank of Nigeria through its monetary policy should ensure that interest rate deregulation is frequently monitored and primarily tailored towards ensuring that the prevailing market lending rate provides opportunity for improved performance of the manufacturing sector, government should provide the essential and effective infrastructure facilities especially electricity supply, as the high cost of these infrastructural expenditure incurred by banks is passed on to borrowers and manufacturers through interest rate, among others were proffered

TRADE OPENNESS AND INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT GROWTH IN NIGERIA

The study assessed trade openness and industrial output growth in Nigeria spanning the period of 1986 to 2019. Using the new trade theory as theoretical premise, the study sought to determine the whether trade openness causes industrial output growth in Nigeria. To do this, the study used the Toda-Yamamoto (T-Y) causality procedure. Using Nigeria’s industrial output as proxy for industrial output growth and trade-to-GDP ratio as proxy for trade openness, findings from the     T-Y estimation revealed that there was no causal relationship between trade openness and industrial output growth in the country. Thus, the study concluded that trade openness did not cause industrial output growth in Nigeria for the period under analysis. To ensure that trade openness leads to industrial output growth, the study recommends that trade in the country would have to be further opened up so as to allow for import discipline which would drive competition and promote the growth of Nigeria’s industrial secto

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH EXPENDITURE AND POST-NEONATAL MORTALITY: A CROSS-INCOME GROUP STUDY IN SELECTED SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continues grappling with disproportionately high post-neonatal mortality despite economic progress. With competing budget priorities, increasing health expenditures' value for accelerating reductions remains contested yet understudied specifically for post-neonatal child health. This analysis aimed to fill this gap by investigating public health spending's impact on post-neonatal mortality stratified by country income levels. Applying the Health Expenditure-Outcome framework, the study analyzed recent panel data across 15 SSA countries, categorized into low, lower-middle and high & upper-middle income groups. Poisson regression modeled country-specific post-neonatal mortality rates as a function of public health expenditure, adjusting for economic, institutional, social and environmental confounders. The study’s descriptive analysis showed stark disparities in post-neonatal deaths, health spending, and related correlates across poorer vs wealthier SSA countries. The Poisson models demonstrated significant mortality reduction per extra unit of public health expenditure across all income categories. However, the mortality lowering effects were substantially greater in higher resourced health systems.  The study thus concludes that public financing for health significantly curtails post-neonatal deaths regardless of economic development levels. Yet returns on investment increase considerably as health systems strengthen over time in transitioning income groups. Sustaining long-term increases in health budgets, prioritizing women and child programs, could accelerate progress. As such, SSA finance/health ministries should develop incremental roadmaps raising budget allocations aligned with Abuja targets given high returns. Improving spending efficiency through governance reforms and integrated investments tackling socioeconomic mortality drivers can further maximize gain

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ON CASSAVA PRODUCTIVITY IN KOGI STATE OF NIGERIA

This paper assessed the economic impact of improved agricultural technologies on cassava productivity in Kogi State, Nigeria. The results are drawn from a household survey covering the agricultural season of 2009/2010. The data obtained from interview schedule was subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics for this study include frequency, percentages and means. The hypothesis was tested using chisquare. The result shows that 79.33% of the respondents adopt the use of improved variety within the period under study. The analysis done on the revenue of the respondents before and after the adoption of the improved agricultural technology shows that revenue of farmers after the adoption of innovations are better off than revenue generated before adoption by N27,750 on the average per farmer. This result shows that the impact of improved agricultural technologies on cassava productivity is positive. Additionally, the results attest to the importance of increasing agricultural productivity in tandem with improvements on the adoption and use of improved agricultural technologies and its availability to the reach of farmers with the farmers’ ability to store food. This findings is consistence with Idachaba and Ayoola, (1995) who observed that improved agricultural helped in increasing agricultural productivity

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY ON CASSAVA PRODUCTIVITY IN KOGI STATE OF NIGERIA

This paper assessed the economic impact of improved agricultural technologies on cassava productivity in Kogi State, Nigeria. The results are drawn from a household survey covering the agricultural season of 2009/2010. The data obtained from interview schedule was subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics for this study include frequency, percentages and means. The hypothesis was tested using chi- square. The result shows that 79.33% of the respondents adopt the use of improved variety within the period under study. The analysis done on the revenue of the respondents before and after the adoption of the improved agricultural technology shows that revenue of farmers after the adoption of innovations are better off than revenue generated before adoption by N27,750 on the average per farmer. This result shows that the impact of improved agricultural technologies on cassava productivity is positive. Additionally, the results attest to the importance of increasing agricultural productivity in tandem with improvements on the adoption and use of improved agricultural technologies and its availability to the reach of farmers with the farmers’ ability to store food. This findings is consistence with Idachaba and Ayoola, (1995) who observed that improved agricultural helped in increasing agricultural productivity

IMPACT OF SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMMES ON HOUSEHOLD ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE SERVICES IN NASARAWA STATE

The paper examined the impact of social protection programmes on household access to healthcare services in Nasarawa State. Primary data was used for the study, which was collected with the aid of survey instrument (questionnaire). A sample of 439 treatment group and same number of sample of the control group were considered in the research. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design and Difference-in-Difference regression model was employed for the data analysis. Results of analysis of the three outcome variables were statistically significant for all components of the social protection programmes (Conditional Cash Transfer, Health Insurance, and N-Power), implying that social protection programmes significantly increased household access to healthcare services in Nasarawa State. The study concluded that social protection programmes are veritable instruments of addressing health inequalities and affordability of healthcare services, and if properly harnessed will lead to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal three in Nasarawa State. The paper based on the findings recommended that more awareness is required on social protection programmes operations in the Nasarawa State, and there is need for institutionalization of social protection policy in Nasarawa State for effective service delivery