Does Micro-Credit Lending to Small Scale Enterprises Stimulate Economic Advancement in Nigeria? Evidence from ARDL Analysis

Abstract

The microfinance institutions are evident tools for Small Scale Enterprises development due to the roles they perform in the economic advancement. Past studies have shown microfinance serves as a key player in the financial sector that has positively impacted in all works of life through the services it offers. This study is positioned to explore the case of Nigeria by examining the impact of micro-credit lending to Small Scale Enterprises on economic advancement in Nigeria over the period 1992–2019, using the autoregressive distributed lag approach to cointegration analysis. Controlling for the possible effects of crude oil price and trade openness on economic advancement in Nigeria, this study found the relationship between micro-credit lending to Small Scale Enterprises and economic advancement is negative and significant in the long‐run and positive but insignificant in the short‐run, thus, suggesting the weakness of financial intermediary sector in resource mobilization and allocation in Nigeria. The result, in general, illustrates the vulnerability of the financial sector in stimulating economic advancement by providing micro-credit for small businesses and the unbanked.  Hence, this study suggests a well‐articulated policy framework that will facilitate access to financial services.