Search

Search Results

• The motivations for the diversification of the Nigerian economy focusing on sustainable agriculture

  7-13

  György Iván Neszmélyi

  Views:

  357

  Agriculture is one of the major branches of the economy in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. It employs around 70% of the population and its contribution to the national GDP ranges around 45% (2012). In spite of the fact that most of the area is arable the majority of food, the Nigerian population consumes, comes from imports. The paper attempts to provide in insight to the reasons, why Nigeria could still not achievew self sufficiency from major food crops and livestock. Beyond the rapid growth of the population, one of the major reasons is the rich oil and natural gas reserves, the exploitation and export of which has been providing with the country with “easy cash” for the recent few decades. Another reason is that the agricultural holdings are small and scattered, and farming is carried out with simple tools and techniques. Modern and large-scale farms are not common. The political leadership and economic decision makers of the country already recognized the necessity of the development of the food and agricultural sector, which – contrary to the oil industry – would exercise a deep and positive impact on the rural society as well. Nigerian agriculture is being transformed towards commercialization at small, medium and large-scale enterprise levels.

• HOW TO INCREASE WORKFLOW EFFICIENCY FOR MICRO AND SMALL BUSINESSES WITH A CUSTOM-BUILT MOBILE APP IN HUNGARY - A CASE STUDY FOR A LANGUAGE LEARNING SCHOOL

  Ádám Péntek

  Anita Pierog

  Tamás Kovács

  Views:

  301

  The increasing availability of information and communication technology (ICT) has boosted interest in ICT-based microservices. Limited research examines the efficacy of ICT-based microservices and administrative burden-alleviating solutions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within a domestic context. This study investigated the potential of such solutions through a case study on a custom language training SME. Key workflows with administrative burdens were identified using an expert interview, leading to the design and development of a custom mobile application. The researchers developed an easily adaptable, general-purpose layer structure during the development process. Results suggest automating essential, low-cost elements of SMEs' internal and external processes through digitalisation and on-demand support can increase competitiveness and employee satisfaction. Further research with a larger sample size could solidify these initial findings and inform broader SME development strategies. Additionally, investigating the long-term impact on factors like employee skill development and customer satisfaction would provide valuable insights for SMEs considering such solutions.

• Intensity and Profitability of Smallholder Cassava Farmers’ Participation in Value Addition in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

  Isaac Oluwatayo

  Chuks Idiaye

  Mutiat Yusuff

  Views:

  344

  This study investigated the intensity and profitability of smallholder cassava farmers’ involvement in cassava value addition in Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 150 cassava farming households through the use of a well-structured questionnaire and employing a simple random sampling procedure. The data collected included information on the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, intensity of value addition among the respondents, factors influencing their decisions to add value as well as the extent of value addition, profitability of cassava value addition and the factors that determined the profitability level of the enterprises. The data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics for profiling the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, gross margin was used to measure profitability, and ordinary least squares regression model was used to determine the factors influencing the decisions of smallholder cassava farmers to add value to cassava as well as the extent of value addition among them. The results revealed that majority of the respondents were females (52.7%) with average age between 31-40 years of age while the average household size (52.7%) is between 6-10 members. Regression analysis of the determinants of the intensity of value addition revealed that the decisions to add value to cassava as well as the extent to which value was added were influenced positively by educational attainment, household size, and years of experience in cassava value addition. Results of the gross margin analysis revealed a positive return on variable costs thus indicating that the cassava value adding enterprise is a profitable one. These findings presented the need for all the stakeholders concerned to focus their attentions on proffering solutions to the challenges faced by cassava processors within the minimum time possible.

  JEL code: L11, M11, M21, Q13, R32