Entrepreneurship, Capacity Development and Youth Employment Generation: A Study of Selected Sub-Saharan Africa Countries

This study examined entrepreneurship, capacity development and youth employment generation in 20 selected sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2017. The study employed the fixed effect Panel estimator on the secondary annual data sourced for the study. Findings from the study can be considered in two categories. One, findings show that human capital development and institutional quality positively but insignificantly affect youth employment generation in the selected countries while macroeconomic instability is intuitively observed to exert a positively insignificant influence on youth employment generation. Two, findings also show that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development are important determinants of youth employment generation in the selected countries. The implication of these findings is that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development should be of concern to the government and policy makers as they are observed to be significant determinant of youth employment generation. Therefore, as a matter of policy implication/recommendation the government of these African Countries should ensure that the conclusion of this study is considered and implemented, increase expenditure on health and education in order to speed up human capital development, and make considerable effort to reduce the large informal sector by putting in place laws and rule that will ensure that the activities of the self-employed people are recognized and accounted for on a large scale

A comparative analysis of the determinants of profitability of commercial and microfinance banks in Nigeria

Purpose: The study aims to examine the determinants of profitability of commercial and microfinance banks in Nigeria, in order to be able to highlight the possible effect of Central Bank of Nigeria policy actions in influencing the internal factors and subsequently the profitability of the banks in Nigeria. Research methodology: The study adopted the panel data research design. Out of the total number of 22 commercial banks and 898 microfinance banks the study sampled 4 commercial banks and 4 microfinance banks using random sampling technique, and based on the availability of data. Data were sourced from the annual balance sheets and income statement of banks from 2010 to 2018 and analysed using the Random Effect Panel Estimation Technique. Finding: Findings from the study show that liquidity ratio is not a strong determinant of banks profitability whether commercial or microfinance banks while capital adequacy is a significant determinants of the profit level in both banks with positive effect for microfinance and negative effect for commercial banks. The study also found that real GDP is a significant determinant of only commercial banks profitability. This by implication indicates that the recent policy action by the central bank which saw the increase of cash reserve ratio from 22.5% to 27.5% is expected to have an insignificant reduction on the profitability of the banks. Limitation: The major limitation of the study is the use of a single measure of profitability and a single measure of external factor. The study period as well as its sample size was also considered as limitation. Contribution: Findings from this study are useful to the management of the banks, the selected banks to be more specific, and shareholders. Also, this study provides insights on the possible effect of the recent policy of the Central Bank on the banking sector. Thus, the results of this study are useful to policy makers and regulators of the financial system in Nigeria. Keywords: Profitability, Commercial Bank, Microfinance Banks, Liquidity Ratio, Capital Adequacy, Return on Asset, Real GD

Entrepreneurship, Capacity Development and Youth Employment Generation: A Study of Selected Sub-Saharan Africa Countries

This study examined entrepreneurship, capacity development and youth employment generation in 20 selected sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2017. The study employed the fixed effect Panel estimator on the secondary annual data sourced for the study. Findings from the study can be considered in two categories. One, findings show that human capital development and institutional quality positively but insignificantly affect youth employment generation in the selected countries while macroeconomic instability is intuitively observed to exert a positively insignificant influence on youth employment generation. Two, findings also show that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development are important determinants of youth employment generation in the selected countries. The implication of these findings is that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development should be of concern to the government and policy makers as they are observed to be significant determinant of youth employment generation. Therefore, as a matter of policy implication/recommendation the government of these African Countries should ensure that the conclusion of this study is considered and implemented, increase expenditure on health and education in order to speed up human capital development, and make considerable effort to reduce the large informal sector by putting in place laws and rule that will ensure that the activities of the self-employed people are recognized and accounted for on a large scale

Public Debt Sustainability in Nigeria after the Exit from Paris Club: The Role of Structural Breaks

The aim of this paper is to provide new evidence on public debt sustainability in Nigeria after the exit from Paris Club. The study contributes to the vast amount of literature by accounting for the role of structural breaks in the series. Data between 1988 and 2016 were collected and the modified Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test was used to account for the effect of structural breaks in the series. In addition, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) fiscal reaction function Bounds Cointegration technique was used to estimate the short and long run function of public debt sustainability in Nigeria. The results obtained show that fiscal actions by the Nigerian government are not sustainable. While we observed that government revenue has been declining over the years, its fiscal spending keeps rising. Essentially, we find a wide gap between government revenue and its fiscal spending. As a result, government has not been able to meet up with its fiscal obligations over the years. Therefore, we recommend that government should reduce its overdependence on crude oil revenue, and harness other potential revenue generating commodities such as the agricultural sectors in order to reduce its debt burden

Entrepreneurship, Human Capacity Development and Youth Employment Generation: A Study of Selected Sub-Saharan Africa Countries

This study examined entrepreneurship, human capacity development and youth employment generation in 20 selected sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2017. We employed the fixed effect Panel estimator on the secondary annual data sourced for the study. Findings from the study show that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development are important determinants of youth employment generation in the selected countries. The implication of these findings is that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development should be of concern to policy makers, and well meaning private individuals as they are observed to be significant determinant of youth employment. More importantly, individual are required to posses refined skills to match the quality of infrastructural facilities in the work place. Therefore, as a matter of policy implication these African Countries should ensure that the conclusion of this study is considered and implemented, and make considerable effort to reduce the large informal sector by putting in place laws and rules that will ensure that the activities of the self-employed people are recognized and accounted for on a large scale

Entrepreneurship, Human Capacity Development and Youth Employment Generation: A Study of Selected Sub-Saharan Africa Countries

This study examined entrepreneurship, human capacity development and youth employment generation in 20 selected sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2017. We employed the fixed effect Panel estimator on the secondary annual data sourced for the study. Findings from the study show that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development are important determinants of youth employment generation in the selected countries. The implication of these findings is that entrepreneurial activities and infrastructural development should be of concern to policy makers, and well meaning private individuals as they are observed to be significant determinant of youth employment. More importantly, individual are required to posses refined skills to match the quality of infrastructural facilities in the work place. Therefore, as a matter of policy implication these African Countries should ensure that the conclusion of this study is considered and implemented, and make considerable effort to reduce the large informal sector by putting in place laws and rules that will ensure that the activities of the self-employed people are recognized and accounted for on a large scale

How Sustainable is the Federal Government of Nigeria Debt after the exit from Paris Club?

The study investigated the sustainability of the federal government debt in Nigeria after the exit from the Paris Club while accounting for the role of structural breaks in the fiscal variables. Using the modified Augmented Dickey-Fuller test (unit root test with structural breaks), Engel Granger residual based co-integration test, Bounds Co-integration test and Johansen co-integration test with structural breaks, the results show that the federal government borrowing and fiscal policy actions in Nigeria are not sustainable. This means that government revenue and expenditure grow indefinitely apart, and therefore grows out of bound. In other words, the federal government does not satisfy its inter-temporal budget constraint, and takes no necessary actions to ensure fiscal sustainability. This shows an increasing difficulty by the Nigerian government to meet its borrowing obligation with current revenue. Therefore, it is important for the federal government of Nigeria to reduce overdependence on oil export revenue, and harness other revenue generating capacities while reducing public borrowing

Exploring the influence of financial technology on banking services in Nigeria

Purpose: This study explored the impact of fintech on Nigerian banking services. Research methodology: This study employed a quantitative research approach, analyzing data from the financial statements of selected Nigerian banks, and financial technology application statistics through econometric modelling and descriptive analysis. Results: The study found that Fintech positively impacts Nigerian banks' traditional and market-based performance measures. For example, statistically, a 1 per cent increase in ATM transactions could increase banks' earnings per share by up to N4 on average. This implies that fintech adoption in the Nigerian financial system can increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve the customer experience, and enhance financial inclusion. Limitations: This study had several limitations, such as the unavailability of data for some banks and the limited timeframe due to data unavailability. Contribution: This study contributes to the growing body of literature on fintech in emerging markets by providing insights into Nigeria’s evolving fintech landscape and its potential impact on traditional banking services. Novelty: This study is one of the first to investigate the impact of fintech on Nigerian banking services based on selected case studies and the quantitative research approach employed. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, regulators, and industry practitioners seeking to promote a conducive environment for fintech growth in Nigeria’s banking sector