Browsing by Author "Mutenyo, John"
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Item Digital Divides or Dividends? Including Basic Services in Africa’s Digitalization Agenda: Evidence from Uganda(INCLUDE, 2022) Mutenyo, John; Buyinza, Faisal; Ssenono, VincentDigital inclusion is about ensuring the benefits of the internet and digital technologies are available to everyone. Digitally excluded people can lack skills, confidence and motivation along with having limited or no access to equipment and connectivity. The major aim of this study was to undertake an in-depth country study to inform policy makers and development practitioners on the extent of digitalizing basic services in Uganda and its impact on inequality. The study further examines the access to basic digital services, usage, affordability, relevance and participation, in order to gain a holistic understanding of the inclusiveness of digital services in Uganda. Focus was placed on services between governments and citizens, as well as inter-governmental services, which help to increase the wellbeing of the poorest and most vulnerable groups, for example, households below the poverty line, rural populations, youth, women, and people with disabilities. This collaborative study was therefore set up: i) To take stock of digital basic service interventions in Uganda before and during the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; ii) To assess how inclusive these interventions are in terms of reaching and improving the wellbeing of poor and vulnerable citizens; iii) To analyse progress in the enabling environment for inclusive digital transformation (including: physical infrastructure, digital skills, regulation, political economy, and institutional capacity) to see where efforts and investments could be prioritized and iv) to extract lessons and best practices for scaling digital basic services and making them more inclusive in order to reach and support those furthest behind. To achieve the purpose, the study employed a mixed methods approach involving desk review, secondary data analysis, qualitative and quantitative analyses derived from conducting Key Informant Interviews and a survey respectively. Several models were estimated on access to digital services, uses of digital services, frequency of internet use and affordability of internet using the Uganda National Household Surveys. Findings indicate that Uganda is progressing well in terms of policies and putting the necessary requirements in place to address the challenges of digital divide. This is premised on the fact that Uganda has establishment a data protection office, and it recently launched a portal at media centre for data controllers and processors and for individuals to register. More findings showed that some women do not use the internet because it lacks local content. The different digital uses include national online portal, utility payments, submitting income taxes, registering new businesses, applying for driving permits, applying for passports, payment for motor third party insurance, online birth registration, among others. The most commonly used digital service is mobile money, which is mostly used by individuals in the age group (25-64 years) which falls under working age. By region, central uses mobile money more than the rest of the regions. This is followed by the western, then the eastern and lastly the northern region. The study recommends that there is need for improved infrastructure investment in electrify connections especially in the rural areas, and expansion of 4G network to cover a large part of the country. These will in turn reduce the investment costs by the private telecom investors, and hence reduce user charges which is one of the key obstacles to solving the digital divide. Also increased awareness campaigns and sensitization to the public are necessary to spur and improve uptake and use of digital services. There is need for deliberate efforts to enhance the ability of Ugandans to acquire knowledge, skills and confidence to safely use digital products and services. Overall, policies should be holistic to include the practical implementation and regulation of new and existing digital services and ensure that they are not just available, but also relevant and useful for enhancing the wellbeing of all citizens.Item Entrepreneurial risk taking and performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Kano State, Nigeria(KIU Journal of Social Sciences, 2018) Egele, Amaka Cordelia; Kibuuka, Muhammad; Mutenyo, JohnRisk taking is a dominant attribute of entrepreneurial activities, as the higher the risk-taking orientation, the higher a firm‟s profitability and growth. The main purpose of this study was to establish the effect of entrepreneurial risk taking on performance of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Kano State, Nigeria. Data for the study was obtained through questionnaire and interview from 393 owners, managers and staff of SMEs in Kano state, Nigeria, on a cross sectional research design. Results using Pearson linear correlation and regression analysis have a positive significant relationship between entrepreneurial risk taking and performance of SMEs. Entrepreneurial risk taking has a positive impact on performance of SMEs in Kano State, Nigeria. Entrepreneurial risk taking had a significant effect (F – statistic = 35.959; t – statistic = 5.997) P= 0.001. The study adds value to the growing body of knowledge in the field of entrepreneurial development activities. The study recommends that operators should always identify and assess the trends of the opportunities impending before taking risk not just dare risk, this will help to address the rate at which SMEs managers, owners and staff take risk, so that risk taking will relate and significantly influence their performance. The study serves as a reference to anyone who is interested in establishing his personal business as it provides insight into the importance of entrepreneurial risk taking in starting a business and also for any organization that is interested in achieving profitability or continue sustaining effective business venture.Item Factors Affecting Access to Formal Credit by Micro and Small Enterprises in Uganda(Johannes Kepler University Linz, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy (ICAE), Linz, 2018) Buyinza, Faisal; Tibaingana, Anthony; Mutenyo, JohnThis article investigates the factors affecting access to formal credit by micro and small enterprises in Uganda using the Gender Enterprise Survey that was funded by the IDRC. The study employed a probit model. The findings show that firm sales, owner's education level, belonging to a business association, belonging to business group, use of internet, owning a personal and business bank account, and gender of the owner are positively associated with access to formal credit. We also find that experienced firms are less likely to apply for credit hence reduce the probability to receive formal bank credit. Our results provide insights on the existing gaps in designing supportive policies for micro and small enterprise to enable them increase their access to credit especially from the formal financial institutions.Item Foresight Africa the Continent’s Greatest Challenges and Opportunities for 2011(Africa Growth Initiative, 2011) Aryeetey, Ernest; Asmah, Emmanuel; Lewis, Zenia A.; Mbaku, John Mukum; Mutenyo, John; Suruma, Ezra S.; Taiwo, Olumide"Before the recent global economic crisis, African countries experienced one of the longest periods of economic expansion. Although Africa weathered the crisis much better than many other regions, its economies remain fragile and daunted by the challenge of achieving sufficiently high growth rates. Yet, there are also many opportunities that offer hope for African countries to achieve sustainable growth in 2011. In this report, experts from the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings examine some of the key issues that will matter for Africa in 2011 and beyond. They provide brief overviews of the issues and give policy recommendations to African governments and development partners on how to leverage the opportunities for prosperity, while anticipating and overcoming challenges that could derail Africa’s growth."Item Work and Income for Young Men and Women in Africa: The Case of Uganda(AERC, 2022) Mutenyo, John; Buyinza, Faisal; Ssenono, Vincent F.; Asiimwe, WilsonThis study sets out to undertake an in-depth country study to establish the economic sectors with the highest multipliers and potential to create employment opportunities for the youth in Uganda. The study used Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS 2019/20) and the Social Accounting Matrix (SAM 2016/17) for Uganda. The study employs descriptive analysis and multiplier approach together with regression analysis by estimating a two-stage Heckman probit model. First, the study examines the employment potential and linkages across the different sectors with decent jobs for the youth using the multiplier analysis. Secondly, the study analyses youth employment using full time equivalent in sectors taking into account gender issues by estimating probit and Tobit-Heckman two-stage regression models. This study finds that more female youth are employed in non-farm self-employment activities, while male youth are mainly employed in non-farm wage activities. In addition, the study finds that farm agricultural work employs most of the youth than other sectors. Furthermore, the results show that off-farm self-work is a significant source of youth employment in all regions. The regression findings show that youth employment is strongly related to their education attainment, skill attainment, and residence of the youth. This highlights the need for policy makers to be cognizant of the rural-urban gradient, skilling and reskilling of the youth in sector-specific skills for potential decent job creation. Also, there is need for the promotion of value addition and supporting agro-processing and import substitution, specifically firms that use local inputs, so as to create employment opportunities for the youth.