Financial Inclusion and its Impacts on Business Growth: A Comparative Analysis between Male and Female Entrepreneurs in Lagos State, Nigeria
Financial Inclusion and its Impacts on Business Growth: A Comparative Analysis between Male and Female Entrepreneurs in Lagos State, Nigeria

Summary/Abstract: ctEntrepreneurial activity is an important business activity, especially indeveloping countries where high level of poverty and inadequate jobopportunities are still more prevalent. For entrepreneurs to ensure continuityin their business, the issue of business growth/expansion is of significantimportance. This paper focuses on examining the effect of microcreditprogramme on the business growth of the beneficiary from the gender’sperspective in a Cowries Microfinance Bank’s (CMB) credit programme inLagos, Nigeria. A systematic sampling technique was used to select a sampleof 191 male entrepreneurs and 359 female entrepreneurs from the study bank.The data were analysed through a Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Theresults of the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated, obtained from the PSManalysis, indicate that the microcredit loan programme has a positive impacton the profit of both male and female entrepreneurs in the study area.Therefore, financial inclusion, through access to microfinance bank credit, hasthe potential of enhancing growth in the business of entrepreneurs. It is, thus,recommended that more focus should be given to microfinance banks. This isbecause it has the potential to enhance the business growth of theentrepreneurs in the study area.

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