Impact Analysis of Social Investment and Economic Empowerment Programmes on the Development of Entrepreneurship among Small-Scale Business Owners in Kogi Central Senatorial District

Abstract

 Given the critical role of entrepreneurship and SSEs in driving job creation and poverty reduction, understanding the effectiveness of government interventions such as the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) and Empowerment Programmes in providing microfinance and skill acquisition schemes is essential. This study analyzes the impact of these programmes on the development of entrepreneurship among small-scale business owners. The study applies the descriptive research design and T-test as instrument for data analysis, in a study population of over 4,000 beneficiaries that cut across the N-SIP and Kogi State Government empowerment programmes from the 5 Local Government Areas in Kogi Central Senatorial Districts. Findings from the test of hypotheses reveal that while the programmes impact on some components of entrepreneurship and small-scale enterprises, including formation of new enterprises, growth in performance of existing ones, and improvement in the overall business climate in district, they however, failed to impact on the development of entrepreneurial skills and competence, and access to business resources/credit facilities. The study concludes that the social investment and economic empowerment programmes focus more on providing financial and material resources which has enabled the formation of new enterprises and growth of existing ones, rather than build entrepreneurial competence and expand access to more funding to exploit innovative business opportunities. The research recommends that the programmes should place more emphasis on business skills and entrepreneurial competences development to enable beneficiaries not only start a business, but also be more creative in identifying innovative business opportunities. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on the efficacy of state-led social investment and empowerment initiatives in Nigeria.