Women-Owned Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Post-Conflict Economic Recovery: An Empirical Review of Jos, Plateau State

This study investigates the factors that influence the recovery of women owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) located in Jos North, Jos South and Jos East Local Government Areas of Plateau state, Nigeria. The area has been confronted with periodic ethno-religious clashes since early 2000. Using Resource-Based View, Social Capital Theory and Institutional Economics Theory, this study established the effects of access to credit, business training received, social capital, years of trading experience, level of education and conflict intensity on the business recovery index and monthly revenue of the enterprises. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted and 310 respondents were sampled from the three metropolitan Local Government Areas and their data analysed using descriptive statistic, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, independent samples t-test, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) multiple regression. The results revealed that access to credit, social capital and business training received were the most significant predictors of business recovery index accounting for approximately 94% of the variance in the index (_ R² = 0.937, F (7, 302) = 641.06, _ p < 0.001), along with the conflict intensity, while access to credit, social capital and business training accounted for 90% of the variance in monthly revenue (_ R² = 0.903, F (7, 302) = 400.96, _ p < 0.001). Enterprises with access to credit recorded a mean business recovery index of 7.41 compared to 4.77 for those without access (_ p < 0.001), and those with business training received scored higher (7.16) than those without (4.62) (_ p < 0.001). The study also established that conflict intensity level had a negative significant relationship with business recovery index (r = -0.743, _ p < 0.001) and enterprises located in the highest bracket of conflict intensity were slowest to recover as indicated by their mean business recovery index of 4.02 compared to 7.02 for those in the lowest bracket. The study therefore recommends that provision of credit facilities, developing and promoting entrepreneurial skills as well as building the social networks of women entrepreneurs in the study area through credit guarantee schemes, training on business management and enterprise development and other supportive programs by relevant government agencies, non-governmental organizations and financial institutions will enhance their post conflict recovery.

Women-Owned Msmes; Post-Conflict Recovery; Access to Credit; Social Capital

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