Explore the evidence.
Understand the reach.

The ever-evolving digital marketing landscape has continuously adapted to technological advancement, consumer behaviour and ecosystem trends. The 21st century marketplace needs traditional marketing practices, and digital platforms to ensure the actualisation of their growth and development in the ecosystem. The study examined how different digital marketing platforms can influence SMEs' operations and performance (Online marketing, and ICT initiatives). The study employed a quantitative design with primary data collection via a questionnaire designed based on 5-Likert’s Scale to answer the research questions; if there is a significant relationship between Online Marketing and SMEs' Business Competitiveness, and if ICT initiative has a positive relationship with SMEs' Business Growth. Two (2) hypotheses were formulated and tested using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). To ascertain the hypotheses formulated, both descriptive and regression analyses were carried out, and the output clearly showed a significant influence of digital marketing on the performance of SMEs. The result shows a positive impact of online marketing on SME business competitiveness. However, this study concluded that in the technology-driven environment, 21st-century SMEs will always see the usefulness and relevance of digital marketing because of its role in improving their performance. This study recommends that SMEs incorporate intensive digital platforms and engage in time-to-time updates of their online marketing channels.

The study contributes to the literature on propane's prospects and viability for off-grid energy, implications for stakeholders, and alignment with sustainable energy goal 7. It examines the prospects of propane-powered off-grid electricity in the Nigerian electricity supply industry (NESI). The study assessed propane’s economic viability and environmental implications as a replacement for diesel (AGO). Specifically, the analyses included comparative levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), net present value (NPV) modeling, Monte Carlo simulations, and carbon emissions estimation. The study found that the cost of energy from diesel (AGO) is 1.52 to 2.86 times of grid MYTO tariffs and 1.84 to 3.92 times of the MYTO tariffs for All-in LCOE. The average total LCOEs were 1.01 to 1.63 times for the commercial bank and 1.02 to 1.63 times for the residential estate. The LCOEs for the AGO generators ranged from $0.183 to $0.286 (fuel only) and $0.335 to $0.392 per kWh all-in. These comparative LCOEs are between 110% and 263.8% of the electricity tariff averages in the US (residential: $0.155/kWh and commercial: $0.127/kWh) and the UK (£0.245/kWh) and, accordingly, confirm the expensive nature of AGO-based electricity in Nigeria. Furthermore, the study found that propane-based off-grid energy is a viable substitute for AGO and cheaper than the current Band A tariff of N206.80KWh, with savings between 10.52% and 45.25%. The study also shows that propane is a cleaner and more efficient source of energy that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 13.8% and as high as 31.1% depending on the generator-load match efficiency with the associated monetized savings between $9.18 and $20.62 per MT CO2e. The study recommends government incentives and private sector investments towards adopting propane for off-grid electricity, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, achieving Nigeria’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) plan, and promoting sustainable development.  

Microenterprises are crucial in sustaining the economy, especially in developing economies like Nigeria. Many of these microenterprises do not take cognizance of necessary determinants like organizational culture and its factors to ensure proper running of their day-to-day activities. The study aims to identify some demographic statistics of employers in technological microenterprises, investigate the factors influencing organizational culture and assess organizational culture's influence on business success among employers in selected technological microenterprises in southwest Nigeria. The study was carried out in three southwestern states in Nigeria with 213 business owners (employers) as respondents. Seventeen factors were explored, but eight were extracted to be considered in measuring the employers' organizational culture: climate, customer demand, technological changes, observed behaviour, norms, consistency, adaptability, and sense of mission. Linear regression analysis was also used to measure organizational culture's impact on technological microenterprises' business performance with SPSS as a statistical tool.   The study confirms a positive and significant relationship between organizational culture and business performance at 5% significance. This study concludes that the eight variables extracted are important factors to consider when measuring the organizational culture of employers in technological microenterprises in southwest Nigeria for better business production.

Trade liberalization is a widely accepted policy for fostering economic growth, particularly in developing countries. Advocates argue that open economies, through increased competition, specialization, and access to global markets, outperform closed economies. However, the short-term effects on developing economies like Nigeria remain debated, especially within the manufacturing sector. Nigeria's trade policy has fluctuated between protectionism and openness, significantly influencing its manufacturing performance. Critics, drawing from dependency theory, argue that liberalization exposes weaker economies to exploitation by stronger nations, leading to trade imbalances and inhibiting industrial growth. This study investigates the nonlinear effects of trade liberalization on Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, addressing a gap in the literature by employing a quadratic approach to determine threshold effects. By incorporating a quadratic form of the trade variable, the study tests the hypothesis that trade liberalization initially boosts the manufacturing sector but results in diminishing returns as openness intensifies. The research is framed within the Laffer Curve of Trade, suggesting that beyond a certain threshold, excessive openness may harm the manufacturing sector. The AutoRegressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is used to assess both short-run and long-run effects, with findings indicating a convex relationship between trade liberalization and manufacturing output, highlighting the critical importance of identifying optimal policy thresholds to maximize industrial growth. 

This research work examines the impacts of foreign aids and human capital on economic growth of African oil and non-oil producing countries. Adopting the time series data from 2000 to 2021, the study employs Westerlund Error Correction Based panel cointegration test to investigate the impacts of Physical Capital (FA, GCF, FDI), Human Capital (EDU, HLT) and Policy Variables (REV, EXR) on Gross Domestic Product growth rate (GDPgr). Findings from results of the study affirms that there is a long-term co-movement between the GDPgr and the explanatory variables (FA, GCF, FDI, EDU, HLT, REV, EXR) of both African oil and non-oil producing countries. The study also reveals that foreign aids are better effectively put into use in the African non-oil producing countries than in the oil producing countries. Findings in the study equally confirm that financial resources in the African non-oil producing countries are better efficiently spent on human capital and domestic investment than in the African oil producing countries. The study further shows that revenue generation and foreign exchange earnings stimulate growth better in the African oil producing countries than the non-oil countries counterparts in Africa.  

This paper investigates the asymmetric exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) to inflation in Nigeria. The study employed Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and Nonlinear ARDL (NARDL) models from 2010Q1 to 2024Q2. The analysis incorporates key policy changes, such as the 2023 exchange rate unification, and explores both the short- and long-run impacts of exchange rate fluctuations on food and headline inflation. In particular, the study highlights the response and pass-through periods of exchange rate shocks, with depreciation demonstrating a stronger and more immediate effect on inflation than on appreciation. Results reveal that exchange rate depreciation exerts significant cost-push pressures, with a pass-through effect observed within 3 to 4 quarters, while the effect of appreciation is weaker and more prolonged. This asymmetry is especially pronounced for food inflation, where the dependency on imported goods accelerates the transmission of exchange rate shocks to consumer prices. The study also finds that cumulative depreciation has a much more pronounced effect on inflation. At the same time, appreciation offers minimal relief, reflecting Nigeria’s vulnerability to exchange rate volatility due to its reliance on imports. The findings show the importance of managing exchange rate fluctuations to control inflation, particularly given the asymmetry in how depreciation and appreciation affect prices. By providing a comprehensive analysis of both long- and short-run dynamics, this study contributes to the understanding of ERPT in Nigeria, offering insights for policymakers to implement targeted interventions to mitigate inflationary pressures in the context of exchange rate instability.

Trade liberalization is a widely accepted policy for fostering economic growth, particularly in developing countries. Advocates argue that open economies, through increased competition, specialization, and access to global markets, outperform closed economies. However, the short-term effects on developing economies like Nigeria remain debated, especially within the manufacturing sector. Nigeria's trade policy has fluctuated between protectionism and openness, significantly influencing its manufacturing performance. Critics, drawing from dependency theory, argue that liberalization exposes weaker economies to exploitation by stronger nations, leading to trade imbalances and inhibiting industrial growth. This study investigates the nonlinear effects of trade liberalization on Nigeria’s manufacturing sector, addressing a gap in the literature by employing a quadratic approach to determine threshold effects. By incorporating a quadratic form of the trade variable, the study tests the hypothesis that trade liberalization initially boosts the manufacturing sector but results in diminishing returns as openness intensifies. The research is framed within the Laffer Curve of Trade, suggesting that beyond a certain threshold, excessive openness may harm the manufacturing sector. The AutoRegressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is used to assess both short-run and long-run effects, with findings indicating a convex relationship between trade liberalization and manufacturing output, highlighting the critical importance of identifying optimal policy thresholds to maximize industrial growth. 

The ever-evolving digital marketing landscape has continuously adapted to technological advancement, consumer behaviour and ecosystem trends. The 21st century marketplace needs traditional marketing practices, and digital platforms to ensure the actualisation of their growth and development in the ecosystem. The study examined how different digital marketing platforms can influence SMEs' operations and performance (Online marketing, and ICT initiatives). The study employed a quantitative design with primary data collection via a questionnaire designed based on 5-Likert’s Scale to answer the research questions; if there is a significant relationship between Online Marketing and SMEs' Business Competitiveness, and if ICT initiative has a positive relationship with SMEs' Business Growth. Two (2) hypotheses were formulated and tested using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). To ascertain the hypotheses formulated, both descriptive and regression analyses were carried out, and the output clearly showed a significant influence of digital marketing on the performance of SMEs. The result shows a positive impact of online marketing on SME business competitiveness. However, this study concluded that in the technology-driven environment, 21st-century SMEs will always see the usefulness and relevance of digital marketing because of its role in improving their performance. This study recommends that SMEs incorporate intensive digital platforms and engage in time-to-time updates of their online marketing channels.

The study contributes to the literature on propane's prospects and viability for off-grid energy, implications for stakeholders, and alignment with sustainable energy goal 7. It examines the prospects of propane-powered off-grid electricity in the Nigerian electricity supply industry (NESI). The study assessed propane’s economic viability and environmental implications as a replacement for diesel (AGO). Specifically, the analyses included comparative levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), net present value (NPV) modeling, Monte Carlo simulations, and carbon emissions estimation. The study found that the cost of energy from diesel (AGO) is 1.52 to 2.86 times of grid MYTO tariffs and 1.84 to 3.92 times of the MYTO tariffs for All-in LCOE. The average total LCOEs were 1.01 to 1.63 times for the commercial bank and 1.02 to 1.63 times for the residential estate. The LCOEs for the AGO generators ranged from $0.183 to $0.286 (fuel only) and $0.335 to $0.392 per kWh all-in. These comparative LCOEs are between 110% and 263.8% of the electricity tariff averages in the US (residential: $0.155/kWh and commercial: $0.127/kWh) and the UK (£0.245/kWh) and, accordingly, confirm the expensive nature of AGO-based electricity in Nigeria. Furthermore, the study found that propane-based off-grid energy is a viable substitute for AGO and cheaper than the current Band A tariff of N206.80KWh, with savings between 10.52% and 45.25%. The study also shows that propane is a cleaner and more efficient source of energy that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 13.8% and as high as 31.1% depending on the generator-load match efficiency with the associated monetized savings between $9.18 and $20.62 per MT CO2e. The study recommends government incentives and private sector investments towards adopting propane for off-grid electricity, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions, achieving Nigeria’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) plan, and promoting sustainable development.  

Microenterprises are crucial in sustaining the economy, especially in developing economies like Nigeria. Many of these microenterprises do not take cognizance of necessary determinants like organizational culture and its factors to ensure proper running of their day-to-day activities. The study aims to identify some demographic statistics of employers in technological microenterprises, investigate the factors influencing organizational culture and assess organizational culture's influence on business success among employers in selected technological microenterprises in southwest Nigeria. The study was carried out in three southwestern states in Nigeria with 213 business owners (employers) as respondents. Seventeen factors were explored, but eight were extracted to be considered in measuring the employers' organizational culture: climate, customer demand, technological changes, observed behaviour, norms, consistency, adaptability, and sense of mission. Linear regression analysis was also used to measure organizational culture's impact on technological microenterprises' business performance with SPSS as a statistical tool.   The study confirms a positive and significant relationship between organizational culture and business performance at 5% significance. This study concludes that the eight variables extracted are important factors to consider when measuring the organizational culture of employers in technological microenterprises in southwest Nigeria for better business production.