Browsing by Author "Ile, Isioma Uregu"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    A critical analysis of monitoring and evaluation systems for small and medium enterprises: With specific reference to Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)
    (University of the Western Cape, 2017) Ilori, Emmanuel Olatomide Idemudia; Ile, Isioma Uregu
    The significance of small, micro, and medium enterprises (SMEs) development cannot be overemphasized because it plays a considerable role in a nation's economy particularly in developing countries. SMEs' contributions include job creation, expanding the means of sustainable livelihoods and ensuring impartial distribution of wealth amongst citizens. This study evaluates monitoring and evaluation systems, policy and programmes of the Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to develop and transform the informal sector of the economy. The main purpose of the establishment of SMEDAN is to facilitate the promotion and development of a structured and effective small and medium enterprises sector that will provide informal employment for unemployed, and enhance sustainable livelihood and economic development in Nigeria. Unemployment and increased poverty levels are key challenges to the government of Nigeria, which has resulted in socio-economic and political unrest across the nation. Against the background of high unemployment rate, especially amongst the youth and the deteriorating fortunes of small and medium businesses in Nigeria, questions can be asked in relation to current initiatives and policies to support SME sector.
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    Between Power and Perception: Understanding youth perspectives in participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) in Ghana
    (pubmed, 2019-07) Boadu, Evans Sakyi; Ile, Isioma Uregu
    Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) approaches have been touted as an important concept for local participation in social interventions programmes. Utilizing a process analysis approaches, the PM&E data gathered through key informant interviews, formal surveys, and policy frameworks were analyzed. The study revealed three dominant power struggles between youth and programme implementers in three districts at the Greater Accra region, Ghana. The first and pervasive form of power dynamics involves the youth and programme implementers. The second involves a variety of arrangements with the government on one hand and implementers and youth on the other side. The third is who qualifies to be a beneficiary and for that matter participate in the PM&E. In these three forms of power struggles the paper reveals superior implementers control of who participate in the programme PM&E and at what stage in the process. The power imbalance between programme implementer and target beneficiaries impeded the level of beneficiaries’ participation in the PM&E.
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    Evaluation of the effects of micro, small and medium enterprises finance policy on job creation in Nigeria
    (University of the Western Cape, 2019) Taiwo, Olusade; Ile, Isioma Uregu
    The researcher attempted to assess the effectiveness of Bank of Agriculture (BOA) microloan scheme on job creation among micro and small enterprises. This is in view of the unprecedented rise in the unemployment rate in Nigeria and the widely perceived belief that among other policies, harnessing the financial capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) may possibly dictate the pace of the country’s achievement of job creation. Despite a wide array of studies on MSME growth, only a handful of rigorous studies are available to provide evidence of the effect of finance on labour market outcomes in the sector, as well as on the use of more relevant assessment techniques on the performance of public policies and interventions related to MSME financing. Through the use of mixed methods including questionnaire administration, key informant interviews, focused group discussions and desk research, this research undertook a theory of change-based assessment of Bank of Agriculture microfinance scheme, to assess the extent to which the scheme is effective in contributing to the achievement of the MSME Policy’s fundamental objective of job creation. Descriptive statistics using frequency tables and graphs as well as OECD COTE (Coherence, Objectives, Targets and Evaluation) Framework for policy formulation were applied as methods of analysis. The findings show a fundamental flaw in relation to the lack of strategic alignment of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) operations with the MSME Policy. The Bank is seen to be operating in a silo as the strategic direction the MSME tilt does not seem to derive from the overall MSME Policy. BOA is also not seen to be positioned to engage the practice of performance measurement and reporting generally and in particular of the fundamental objective of job creation, as stipulated in the MSME Financing Policy of government. It was also revealed that a majority of enterprises that took BOA microloans loans were not able to create jobs as many of them were operating as “survivalists”. Although the BOA microloan scheme is potentially capable of supporting targeted growth-oriented microenterprises in specific trades to create jobs, given the attractive concessional terms, the Bank is not achieving this objective in its present state and form neither is it seen to be positioned to do so due to several supply and demand side factors. An ongoing reform process in the Bank during this research period may be able to address part of this concern if more strategic steps are taken to surmount the constraints. Furthermore, BOA does not have a functional performance measurement framework and monitoring and evaluation system that can be used as the basis for measuring goal attainment such as the goal of job creation, especially in relation to the outcomes of the provision of financial services to the MSME sector. For BOA to be successful and truly developmental in focus especially in relation to its contribution to the strategic objective of job creation, the study therefore recommended the key thrust of a new framework for addressing the current unemployment situation to include an effective alignment of macro, meso (sectoral) and micro policies. At the (micro) institutional level, it is recommended that BOA should: • improve its governance and management system as well as the integration of development impact considerations and measurement; • create innovative financing products for growth-oriented microenterprises especially through cluster financing and cluster-based development; • increase wholesale lending through the provision of on-lending products to performing microfinance institutions (MFIs); • engage the services of BDS organisations to source for credible clients and build clients’ entrepreneurial capacity including assisting them to access markets. In line with the need to integrate development impact considerations and measurement into its entire operations, the researcher designed a monitoring and evaluation framework that can enhance the tracking of the attainment of job creation policy goal in BOA microloan scheme. In this vein, the institution is to adopt formal “lessons learnt” mechanisms to integrate evaluation findings into future activities and “put development back into development banking” (Smallridge, 2017). At the meso level in the study context, horizontal cooperation is recommended where all relevant institutions are aligned and the impact of various policy measures on entrepreneurship and job creation are taken into account. Lastly, an employment – sensitive macro-economic framework must pursue: the relaxation of monetary and credit conditions that are supportive of employment creation in the economy; fiscal prudence in the context of exploiting fiscal space to accommodate investments with high employment potentials; use of legislative mechanisms for ensuring full and effective implementation of annual budgets, program and projects at all levels and development and effective use of computerised Labour Market Information System (LMIS) for Nigeria.
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    A review of the impact of the national micro small and medium enterprise policy on youth employment and enterprise development: a case of the small medium enterprises development agency of Nigeria
    (Lifescience Global, 2018) Ilori, Emmanuel; Ile, Isioma Uregu; Allen-Ile, Charles O.K.
    This research-based paper examines the impact that the national small enterprise development agency, established in line with policy, has had on employment creation and on the uptake of entrepreneurial pursuits amongst the youth in Nigeria. The potential extensive impact of the small, micro, medium enterprises (SMMEs sometimes also referred to as SME or MSME) sector in nation building cannot be over emphasized. SMMEs’ contributions include job creation, expanding the means of sustainable livelihoods and ensuring impartial distribution of wealth amongst citizens. The implementation of impactful SMME policies also allow increased savings for future investments and for the effective utilization of the nation’s raw materials. Furthermore, proper implementation of SMME policy also boosts the sources of income to government through tax income and contributes significantly to nations Gross Domestic Products (GDP). The locus of the present research is the Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) which has been mandated and empowered by legislation as a principal agency to stimulate the development and transformation of the small enterprise and informal sector of the economy. The specific site studied was that of its operations in Akure and environs, Ondo State, Nigeria. The research relied extensively on the meta-analytic technique in examining the official and unofficial reported impact of the policy as overseen by the agency towards achieving the stated aims for its establishment. The core dimensions of the investigation included (a) the extent to which the guiding policy is implemented as intended from a monitoring and evaluation point of view, (b) the impact of the policy on employment creation that benefits the teeming youth of the country and (c) ultimately, the extent to which the policy and the agency have been effective in overall enterprise development. By adopting a monitoring and evaluation approach, the preliminary findings appear to be pointing to a number of unforeseen, and in some instances, self-inflicted negating factors that appear to be inimical to the achievement of the desired objectives. Since the goal(s) of enterprise development are always on-going, this paper proposes the adoption of a longitudinal monitoring and evaluation (M &E) framework in order to ensure that what is planned for or intended is actually what is achieved as far as the impact of SMME on youth employment and enterprise development in Nigeria is concerned. In order to accomplish its core objectives, this research, collected limited primary data while relying extensively on available secondary data and records. In addition, a structured, personal in-depth interview guide was drafted to collect additional, corroborating data from officials of the small business development agency.