Directorate of Research and Publications

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Browsing Directorate of Research and Publications by Author "Nafiu, Lukman Abiodun"

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    A Model for Organizational Preparedness of SMEs During COVID-19 Pandemic in Kigezi Sub-region in South Western Uganda.
    (Kabale University, 2023) Tamwesigire, Caleb; Nafiu, Lukman Abiodun
    The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has severely affected the global and Uganda economy with major victims being small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study examined and developed a model for organizational preparedness and business disaster of SMEs during COVID-19 pandemic in Kigezi sub-region in South Western Uganda. The specific objectives were to: (i)determine the characteristics of decision makers of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic; (ii) assess organizational features of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic; (iii) examine government response and preparedness of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (iv) model the relationship between those factors identified with organizational preparedness and the management of SMEs during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed and interviewer-administered questionnaire as a research tool was used to elicit information from the managers of SMEs across the six (6) districts of Kigezi sub-region. Two-stage cluster sampling technique was used and the sample size was computed using Yamane’s sampling formulae based on a 5% level of precision. The value of CVI obtained was 0.840 while the value of reliability obtained was 0.770, which indicated that the questionnaire items were relevant and suitable for the study. Five hundred and ninety one (591) questionnaires were administered to the SME owners/managers while four hundred and seventy six (476) questionnaires were returned, giving the overall return rate as 81%. The study identifies the factors that were significant with organizational preparednessand the management of business during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kigezi sub-region in South Western Uganda as firm size, firm financial condition, risk perception, government subsidy, help received from NGOs and the loan received from the bank/SACCO; while other factors: firm year of existence, source of initial capital, and gender of owners/managers were found to be insignificant. The results showed that organizational features, characteristics of decision makers and government response accounts for a total of 27.9% improvement on the management of business disaster in the Kigezi sub-region. The results further indicate that organizational features (β=0.163, p-value=0.000) and characteristics of decision makers (β=0.021, p-value=0.648) have positive but significant effect while government response (β=-0.780, p-value=0.682) have negative but no significant effect on the management of business disaster. The study concludes that organizational features and characteristics of decision makers are important factors that affected the organizational preparedness and the management of business during COVID-19 pandemic in Kigezi sub-region in South Western Uganda. The study recommends that SME owners/managers should focus on improving their firms’ features; perfect the way they make decision by providing a critical dynamic resilience strategy framework to manage their SMEs during the crisis period. There is also need for government/NGO interventions in the area of subsidy for SME owners/managers during the pandemic to boost their businesses. Keywords: Organizational Features, Business Disaster, Decision makers, Pandemic, COVID
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    ItemOpen Access
    Micro-Credit Institutions’ Services and Sustainability of Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises During Covid-19 Pandemic in Kigezi Region, South Western Uganda.
    (Kabale University, 2022) Agaba, Moses; Kaaya, Siraj; Nafiu, Lukman Abiodun
    The study examined the effect of Microcredit institutions' services on the sustainability of micro, small and medium-size enterprises of the Kigezi region, South Western Uganda during the Covid-19 pandemic. The specific objectives were to: determine the effect of loan provision by microcredit institutions on the sustainability of MSMEs; determine the effect of the provision of the saving account by microcredit institutions sustainability of MSMEs, and, investigate the effect of the provision of Managerial skills on the sustainability of MSMEs during Covid-19 pandemic in Kigezi Sub-Region, Uganda. The study was conducted in the Kigezi region of Uganda. The region has six (6) districts namely: Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu, Rukungiri, Rubanda and Rukiga. The Kigezi region is situated in Southwestern Uganda. It is a very hilly, cold and mountainous region bordering the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Because of its hills, mountains and cold weather, people call it the Switzerland of Africa. It is full of Agricultural Terraces and is home to the world-famous mountain gorillas. According to the National Census of 2014 and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Household survey of 2016, the region has a population of about 1.5 million people from the six (6) districts (Kabale, Kanungu, Rukungiri, Rubanda, Rukiga and Kisoro). The sample size was computed using Yamane's sampling formulae (Yamane, 1967) and was based on a 5% level of precision. A cluster sampling procedure was applied to select the enterprises' respondents. Enterprise owners and managers were the units of inquiry due to their importance as custodians of information on all the activities taking place in their respective MSMEs (Rhodes, 2009). The research population was divided into clusters (areas or districts) and the required sample was selected using simple random sampling. The study used an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire to collect the data. The value of CVI obtained was 0.78 while the value of reliability obtained was 0.767, which indicates that the questionnaire items were relevant and suitable for the study. Three hundred and twelve (312) questionnaires were administered while a total of two hundred and ninety-four (294) MSMEs returned the filled questionnaires, giving the return rate as 94.2%. The results indicate that a one-unit increase in Loan Provision would cause about 0.048 unit increase in Sustainability of MSMEs; one-unit increase in Saving Account would produce about 0.125 unit increase in Sustainability of MSMEs, and one-unit increase in Training on Managerial Skills would bring about 0.309 unit increase in Sustainability of MSMEs. This suggests that increases in Loan Provision; Saving Accounts; and Training in Managerial Skills help to increase Sustainability. The study concludes that loan provision by microcredit institutions did not sustain MSMEs during the Covid-19 pandemic in Kigezi Sub-Region Uganda; accessing an adequate amount of credit is an important factor in increasing the development and growth of SMEs; and, increasing Saving accounts and Training on Managerial Skills will increase Micro-credit Institutions’ Serviceability of MSMEs. The researchers recommend the use of sensitization of the clients and the use of other marketing tools. The researchers also recommend Emphasizing training (managerial skills), especially in financial management to support their clients to improve their business performance regularly and most cases should be tailored toward the training needs of the clients