KASU JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
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IMPACT OF MALARIA PREVALENCE ON LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY IN NIGERIA
Full text linkThis study investigated the impact of malaria prevalence on labour productivity in Nigeria from 1999-2021. Malaria is both a significant public health and economic concern with high prevalence rates in Nigeria. In 2021, Nigeria had the highest threat of malaria globally and this affected productivity and death rates. The Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation technique was employed, and the results indicated that: there is significant negative relationship between Labour productivity and malaria prevalence in Nigeria and an increase in government recurrent expenditure on health resulted in an increase in labour productivity. The study concluded that if we desire a high level of labour productivity growth, we can achieve it by increasing and improving the stock of health human capital. Therefore, malaria treatment and preventive policy measures by way of government interventions programs for controlling the malaria disease are urgently needed to reduce the malaria transmission in Nigeria
NATURE OF ABUSES ON RETRENCHMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
Full text linkThis paper entitled “Analysis on Abuses of Retrenchment of Primary School Teachers in Kaduna State, Nigeria Government” explored the irregularities associated with retrenchment of primary school teachers by Kaduna State Government in 2017. To achieve this study, a sample size of three hundred and ninety-two respondents was drawn from a population of 20,259 Primary School Teachers who were disengaged from service by Kaduna State Government using multi-staged sampling process and issued questionnaires. The data from the survey was complemented with data collected through interviews with nine (9) key informants. The result of the study shows that majority of affected teachers and their union were not officially informed of Governments’ intention to downsize primary school teachers, no precautionary measures were taken to prevent the retrenchment, no pre- retrenchment training and counseling was organized to assist affected teachers cope with life after job loss and retrenchment benefits were not paid to many deserving teachers as mandated by law. The paper recommends that employers should properly inform workers of any intention to retrench and the categories of workers to be affected, employers should take precautionary measures to that will help them avoid retrenchment, initiate counseling seminars and entrepreneurial skills acquisition programs to workers awaiting the retrenchment to help them cope with life after job loss. Finally, employers should pay severance benefits to affected workers as soon as the exercise is conducted as mandated by law
Effect of Economic Growth on Poverty in Nigeria
Full text linkThe study explored the relationship between economic growth and poverty in Nigeria by identifying components that influence economic growth in various sectors of the economy. Ex post facto research design was used and the Harrod-Domar model formed the basis for the theoretical underpinning of the study. In order to address the problem, the study modelled selected macroeconomic variables such as poverty, agricultural output, investment, capital formation, and social services in Nigeria. Time series data covering the period 1990 to 2023 was used to estimate the variables in the model. Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) stationarity test, and Cointegration test were conducted, while Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model was used to estimate the regression equation. The findings of this study revealed that there was significant economic growth over the period under consideration, but economic growth does not contribute to poverty reduction in the long-run. It was found that gross capital formation has negative and insignificant impact on poverty reduction. This indicates the need for continuous investment in capital formation to boost economic growth. The study found that economic growth has negative and significant impact on poverty reduction both in the short run and long run. Based on the findings, it was recommended that poverty reduction policies that enhance economic growth by expanding employment opportunities, raising productivity, and improving the living standard of households should be encouraged in the country
Effect of Exchange Rate Volatility on Food Prices in Nigeria (1999-2023)
Full text linkThe drive objective of this paper is to examine the effect of exchange rate volatility (ERV) on food prices (FPI) in Nigeria with quarterly time series data from 1999Q1 to 2023Q4 using Structural Vector Autoregressive (SVAR) approach and modeled food prices based on food prices index (FPI) against policy instruments of exchange rate volatility (ERV), monetary policy rate (MPR), imported food prices (IFP), transportation costs (TPC) and dummy variable (DUM). The findings of structural impulse response functions of the food prices index increased steadily to itself and to ERV, but a downward movement to MPR and IFP, while the respond to TPC and DUM a decrease and turned to negative. The result of the Structural Variance Decomposition revealed that ERV is the only principal variable that affects the food prices in Nigeria. Other variables do not significantly affect the variation of food prices. The paper therefore, recommended that monetary authorities should diversify the holding of US dollar as the main exchange rate currency and spreads it across multiple currencies. More so, to initiate a programme that will reduce dependency on food supply imports, like Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Effect of Exchange Rate Volatility on Food Prices in Nigeria (1999-2023)
No full textThe study investigated the relationship between government expenditure on education and educational outcome in Nigeria from 1990 to 2023. The study utilized time series secondary data on government education expenditure, school enrollment ratio at the primary level, GDP growth rate, and the population of Nigeria. The unit root properties of the data were tested using the Augmented Dickey Fuller test, the ARDL bounds test was used to test cointegration and the model was estimated using ARDL. The variables of interest were found to be integrated in mixed order. The long-run relationship revealed that they were related in the long run. The result of the ARDL showed that government education expenditure had a positive relationship with primary school enrollment ratio implying that the expenditure of the government had the tendency to improve the educational sector. The coefficient was found to be statistically insignificant also. The study recommended among other things that conscious and deliberate efforts of the government to improve on its allocation to the educational sector will be beneficial to the secto
Baseline Survey of the Informal Economy and Livelihoods System in Kaduna State, Nigeria
Full text linkOver the years, the states of Nigeria have had some of the worse socio-economic and demographic statistics in the country. Effective development planning and implementation in those states are often hampered by not only the lack of good quality, consistent, and reliable data but the failure of state machinery to recognize and integrate activities of the informal economy in policy design, programming, and execution. Using survey and statistical methods, this study profiles the informal economy and investigates how activities in the sector connect with livelihood systems, patterns, and choices in the state. The findings of the study indicate that the sector is active and vibrant in the state. About two-thirds of household activities in the state fall within the purview of the informal economy in addition to providing a source of livelihood for more than a quarter of a million people. The analysis also demonstrated a close connection between household prosperity and food security, or lack of it, with informal agro-allied and industrial activities as well as the unemployment status of the household. It is recommended that further interrogation of the patterns, magnitude, and direction of the causal relationship between the variables be undertaken with policy design, programming, and execution in the state in mind.  
Impact of New Business Start-Ups on Unemployment Reduction in Kaduna State, Nigeria
No full textRice, as a crucial staple food globally, ranks third in production and consumption following wheat and maize. It accounts for over 20% of the total calorie intake worldwide. Notably, the increased demand for rice in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly West Africa, has led to a substantial surge in global rice trade over the past two decades. Nigeria, serving as a key import hub, annually imports 5.2 million tonnes of rice, illustrating the significance of the region in the global rice market. This study examined the influence of precipitation patterns on rice production yields in West Africa, aiming to gain insights into the future prospects of rice cultivation and to inform effective agricultural policy-making. Secondary data sourced from the eAtlas website were employed, encompassing annual precipitation data from three key countries - Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal - along with their respective rice yield production figures. The analysis relied on descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression methods, revealing discernible correlations among the variables. While the relationships in Nigeria and Mali exhibited weak or non-significant associations, Senegal displayed a notable, negative correlation between precipitation and rice yield. In light of these findings, it is recommended that the cultivation of more weather-resilient rice varieties, which require less water, should be prioritized. Additionally, the reuse of wastewater for irrigation purposes can significantly bolster agricultural productivity, particularly in the face of adverse climatic conditions
Company Income Tax and Economic Growth in Africa: The Role of Institutional Quality
Full text linkThe study seeks to examine moderating role of institutional quality on the relationship between company income tax (CIT), and Economic Growth of 15 (Nigeria, Niger, Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Togo, Mali, and Benin) selected West African countries. The study used a panel data from 2000 – 2022, sourced from world development indicators (WDI) and the world bank. A dynamic panel auto regressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was employed to analyze the data collected for the study. The data covers a range of key economic variables, including gross domestic product (GDP), corporate income tax (LNCIT), institutional quality (LNITQ), trade openness (LNTOP), inflation rate (LNINF), interest rate (LNINT) and exchange rate (LNEXR). The pooled mean group (PMG) estimator was deemed fit and appropriate over the mean group (MG) estimator in estimating the data. The findings show that LNCIT, LNITQ, LNTOP, LNINF, has a positive relationship with GDP while the interaction term (LNCITITQ) and LNEXR has a negative relationship with GDP. The study recommends that policymakers should consider these insights while formulating tax policies, improving institutional quality, and attracting foreign investment to promote sustainable economic growth in the selected west African Countries
INTERVENING EFFECT OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA
Full text linkThe main objective of the study was to investigate the intervening effect of financial management on the relationship between capital structure and firm performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SME) in Benue state, Nigeria, focusing on twenty SME in Benue state registered with corporate affairs commission from 2019-2023 using ex-post facto research design. The variables used were short term- debt (STD) and long- term debt (LTD) for capital structure and return on assets (ROA) as proxy for firm performance. Regression analysis, using random effects model, as determined by hausman specification test was used for data analysis using STATA 20. Findings were that, there exists a positive and significant effect of short- term debt while there was a negative and insignificant relationship between long- term debt on return on assets. However, on intervening with financial management, the coefficients of margin of contributions of short- term debt and long- term debt on firm performance became significantly enhanced. Based on the results, the study recommended, among others that, firm owners and managers should ensure that the processes of sourcing for funds either for expansion or investment purposes of SME must submit completely to the relevant financial provisions. Government and regulatory agencies should put in place stringent laws to compel firms to embrace financial management principles and defaulting firms should be sanctioned appropriately
IMPACT OF DIGITAL ECONOMY IN ENHANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
Full text linkThe digital economy has emerged as a transformative force, redefining economic activities and presenting opportunities for sustainable development particularly in Nigeria. This study examines the impact of the digital economy on sustainable development in Nigeria. It focused on financial inclusion, access to education, healthcare, addressing the challenges and opportunities for utilizing digital technologies. The study employed a descriptive survey design. The data were collected from 300 respondents which include; fintech employees, educators, healthcare providers, government officials and beneficiaries of digital services across three area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria. The findings reveal that digital platforms, particularly fintech solutions have significantly enhanced financial inclusion, providing previously unbanked populations access to financial services and contributing to poverty reduction. Digital technologies in education and healthcare have bridged critical service gaps especially in underserved areas. However, challenges such as inadequate broadband infrastructure, limited digital literacy, and regulatory barriers persist. Despite these impediments, opportunities such as Nigeria’s youthful population and increasing internet penetration present a favourable environment for digital transformation. The study concludes that the digital economy is a vital tool for fostering sustainable development in Nigeria. Recommendations include investing in digital infrastructure, implementing digital literacy programs, fostering public-private partnerships and establishing robust regulatory frameworks to maximize the potential of the digital economy for sustainable development