Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

Women’s Entrepreneurship, Digital Inclusion, and Peacebuilding in Fragile States: A Study of Benue State, Nigeria

Bridget Mlumun Akaakohol, Hiam Aondoawase, Iorkaan Samuel Kuma

Abstract

This study analyzed the relationship between women’s entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and peacebuilding in fragile states, with a focus on Benue State, Nigeria. The study employed a cross- sectional survey research design. Data were collected from 110 women entrepreneurs across selected local government areas in Benue State using a multistage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and simple regression analysis. The findings showed that women’s entrepreneurship in Benue State is largely small-scale businesses. Digital inclusion was found to be moderate, with high mobile phone access. Main obstacles to digital inclusion include high cost of internet, lack of digital skills and poor internet infrastructure. In addition, the results show that women’s entrepreneurship and digital inclusion contribute to improving household welfare, reducing economic tensions and supporting community development. The results further indicate that women’s entrepreneurship and digital inclusion have a significant role in promoting peacebuilding in the fragile communities. The study concludes that women’s entrepreneurship and digital inclusion are vital for fostering peace and stability in fragile states like Benue State. It recommends increased investment in digital infrastructure, targeted financial support for women entrepreneurs, and the implementation of digital literacy programs.

Keywords

Women’s EntrepreneurshipDigital InclusionPeacebuildingFragile States

References

African Development Bank . (2021). Women entrepreneurship in Africa. Abidjan: African Development Bank Group. Akanle, O., & Omotayo, A. O. (2017). Women’s entrepreneurship in Nigeria: Progress, challenges and prospects. African Journal of Business Management, 11(15), 365–372. Becker, G. S. (1993). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis. University of Chicago Press. Bouta, T., Frerks, G., & Bannon, I. (2005). Gender, conflict, and development. World Bank. Brush, C., de Bruin, A., & Welter, F. (2009). A gender-aware framework for women’s entrepreneurship. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 8–24. Collier, P., & Hoeffler, A. (2004). Greed and grievance in civil war. Oxford Economic Papers, 56(4), 563–595. De Mel, S., McKenzie, D., & Woodruff, C. (2009). Are women more credit constrained? World Bank Economic Review, 23(2), 217–244. Donner, J., & Escobari, M. (2010). A review of evidence on mobile use by micro and small enterprises. Journal of International Development, 22(5), 641–658. Elson, D. (2018). Gender equality and economic policy. London: Routledge. GSMA. (2021). Connected women: The mobile gender gap report 2021. GSMA. (2023). Mobile gender gap report 2023. London: GSM Association. Hilbert, M. (2011). Digital gender divides or technologically empowered women? Women’s Studies International Forum, 34(6), 479–489. International Crisis Group. (2018). Stopping Nigeria’s spiralling farmer–herder violence. International Crisis Group. (2023). Nigeria conflict and peacebuilding report. Brussels: International Crisis Group. International Telecommunication Union . (2023). Measuring digital development: Facts and figures 2023. Geneva: ITU Publications. ITU. (2020). Measuring digital development: Facts and figures. Geneva: ITU Publications Lederach, J. P. (1997). Building peace: Sustainable reconciliation in divided societies. USIP Press. Minniti, M. (2010). Female entrepreneurship and economic activity. The European Journal of Development Research, 22(3), 294–312. National Bureau of Statistics . (2022). Nigeria MSME report 2022. Abuja: NBS. National Information Technology Development Agency . (2022). National digital literacy framework. Abuja: Federal Government of Nigeria. OECD. (2019). Bridging the digital gender divide. Retrieved from https://eulacfoundation.org/system/files/digital_library/2023-07/bridging-the-digital- gender-divide.pdf Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . (2022). Women’s entrepreneurship policies and practices. Paris: OECD Publishing. Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65–78. Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria . (2021). MSME survey report. Abuja: SMEDAN. SMEDAN. (2019). National survey of micro, small and medium enterprises . Tong, R. (2009). Feminist thought: A more comprehensive introduction. Westview Press. UN Women. (2018). Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 agenda. New York: UN Women. UN Women. (2022). Women, peace and security report. New York: UN Women. UNDP. (2016). Human development report. New York: United Nations Development Programme United Nations Development Programme . (2022). Human security report 2022. New York: UNDP. Van Dijk, J. (2020). The digital divide. Cambridge: Polity Press. World Bank. (2012). World development report: Gender equality and development. World Bank. (2020). Nigeria development update, June 2020: Nigeria in times of COVID-19 - laying foundations for a strong recovery. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34046 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO. World Bank. (2023). World development report 2023: Digitalization for development. Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

Building National Analytics Capacity: Advances and Future Pathways

Author: Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Root-Cause and Thematic Analysis for Major Incident Management: A Review

Author: Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Data-Quality and Single-Source-Of-Truth Frameworks for Inter- Agency Reporting: A Review

Author: Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey Okwesa, Uzoamaka Iwuanyanwu

Human-In-The-Loop Decision Systems: Advances and Future Directions

Author: Funmilayo Ashore-Onisemo, Uchechi Mary-Linda Unamma, Ifeanyichukwu Jeffrey, Okwesa,

Roles of Oil Subsidy Removal on Transportation Cost and Water Factory in Cross River South, Nigeria

Author: Onwuzurike Peter Tobechi, Owoh Akwa Owoh, Unoh Grace Inyang, Umaru Musa