Types of Corruption in Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs) in Ibadan, Nigeria

Corruption is a phenomenon that manifests in various types and forms especially among operators of Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs). Many actions of the operators which constitute corrupt practices often tend to be overlooked in spite of their grave consequences for the success SMEs in Nigeria. The fight against corruption in Nigeria is more concentrated in the formal sector. This study was, therefore, designed to investigate various forms in which corrupt practices are carried out among Small and Micro Enterprises in Ibadan, Nigeria. Business owners, their employees, apprentices and consumers constituted the study population. Primary data were collected using questionnaire administered on 200 business owners, 150 employees and 150 apprentices randomly chosen in five business districts in Ibadan; and the conduct of 10 in-depth interviews with purposively selected participants. Quantitative data were analysed at uni-variate level using simple percentages and frequencies while qualitative data were content analysed. Findings from the study revealed that corrupt practices were rampant among actors in SMEs and the common types of corrupt practices included stealing (60%), deception of customers (78.4%), tax evasion (62%), sale of fake products (76%), sale of expired products (65.2%), tampering with measurement scales (69.6%), bribery (82.4%), and poor service delivery (73%). The study concludes that the level of corruption in SMEs calls for concern and government should extend the fight against corruption to the informal sector in Nigeria

How to Strengthen the CMAM programme in Northern Nigeria and reduce rates of programme defaulting

This report presents findings from the operations research (OR) study which was conducted to identify barriers to attendance of the Maternal Neonatal and Child Health Weeks programme (MNCHW), in two states of northern Nigeria – Jigawa and Zamfara States. The work was a collaborative project between the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Food Basket Foundation International and Oxford Policy Management. The treatment and prevention of severe acute malnutrition via the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition programme (CMAM) is one of four outputs of the DFID-funded development project “Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria” (WINNN). This output aims to deliver, in the five WINNN supported northern states, effective treatment for severe acute malnutrition through local health systems. WINNN is implemented by UNICEF, Action Against Hunger (ACF) and Save the Children International (SCI), in partnership with the five state governments. SCI is responsible for its implementation in Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states, and ACF is responsible for its implementation in Jigawa and Yobe states. The CMAM services include: (1) Community outreach, for the early identification and referral of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and later follow-up; (2) Outpatient care for children with SAM without medical complications at health facilities and at home (Outpatient Therapeutic Programme, OTP); (3) Inpatient care for children with SAM, and medical complications or no appetite (Inpatient Therapeutic Programme, ITP)

How to strengthen an Infant and Young Child Feeding programme in Northern Nigeria

This four-page research summary brief highlights findings and recommendations from operations research into how to strengthen the implementation of an Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) programme and to motivate behaviour change to improve IYCF practices in northern Nigeria. The research found that the IYCF programme was viewed positively by a range of beneficiaries and stakeholders, including family members, traditional birth attendants, IYCF programme community volunteers, health workers and state government officials, because of the perceived visibility of the health benefits, including less episodes of diarrhoea, and consequent savings on health care. Recommendations for the IYCF programme include review strategies for CV training and strengthen supportive supervision, especially in relation to counselling techniques and facilitation of support groups; reinforce and strengthen the use of examples of real healthy children who have been exclusively breastfed to enhance the acceptability of the messages and adoption of the behaviour change; and adopt multiple behaviour change techniques, including food demonstrations and professionally developed mass media

How to strengthen the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) programme in Northern Nigeria

This report presents findings from the operations research (OR) study which was conducted to strengthen the Infant and Young Child Feeding (ITCF) programme, in northern Nigeria .The work was a collaborative project between the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Food Basket Foundation International and Oxford Policy Management. The prevention of under-nutrition via the IYCF programme is one of four outputs of the DFID-funded programme “Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria” (WINNN). This output aims to prevent under-nutrition by promoting evidence-based IYCF feeding recommendations, including exclusive breastfeeding until an infant is 6 months of age, feeding a diverse diet of nutritious foods and breastmilk from 6-23 months of age, feeding a sick child and good hand-washing practices. WINNN is implemented by UNICEF, Action Against Hunger (ACF) and Save the Children International (SCI), in partnership with five state governments. SCI is responsible for its implementation in Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states, and ACF is responsible for its implementation in Jigawa and Yobe states. Each of the five WINNN states implements the IYCF programme in three Local Government Areas (LGAs). The IYCF programme includes: (1) Facility-based IYCF counselling for pregnant women and mothers with an infant less than 2 years of age, facilitated by health workers (HWs); (2) Community-based IYCF counselling for pregnant women and mothers with an infant less than 2 years of age, facilitated by community volunteers (CVs); (3) Community-based meetings with fathers of infants less than 2 years of age and grandmothers, facilitated by CVs

How to strengthen a Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition programme in northern Nigeria

This summary highlights findings and recommendations from operation research on a Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme in northern Nigeria. The study analysed the perceived benefits of CMAM; reasons for beneficiaries not defaulting from the programme; challenges of accessing CMAM services; the workloads and motivation of health workers and community volunteers; and what is required to integrate CMAM into the primary health system.UK Ai