http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/3687 2026-09-14T15:01:18Z 2026-09-14T15:01:18Z Aliyu, Jabir Dauda, Abdulwaheed Bello, Ibrahim Bature http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31983 2026-09-10T19:39:39Z 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z

Title: EFFECT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCE ON ECONOMICSUSTAIINABILITY OF SMALL-SCALE FISH FARM BUSINESSES IN MINNA METROPOLIS, NIGER STATE Authors: Aliyu, Jabir; Dauda, Abdulwaheed; Bello, Ibrahim Bature Abstract: The challenge of sustaining business ventures amidst escalating economic uncertainty remains a primary concern in entrepreneurship, particularly for small-scale enterprises that often face stagnation or decline at the maturity stage. Specific studies on the relationship between entrepreneurial competence and economic sustainability of small businesses are limited in Nigeria and have not been intensively tested in the study’s context and sector and as such this study investigated the effect of entrepreneurial competence on economic sustainability of small-scale fish farm businesses in Minna Metropolis, Niger State. Utilising a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected by issuing a structured questionnaire to 179 fish farmers in Minna Metropolis through a census-based sampling technique after which 165 valid questionnaires were retrieved. Hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression analysis. The results yielded an R2 of 0.505 indicating that the model possesses a robust fit and explains 50.5% of the variance in economic sustainability. The findings reveal that strategic competence with a coefficient of 0.192 and p-value of 0.020, opportunity competence with a coefficient of 0.238 and p-value of 0.001, and commitment competence with a coefficient of 0.295 and p-value of 0.000 exert positive and significant effects on economic sustainability; however, network competence with a coefficient of 0.008 and pvalue of 0.896 was found to have a positive but statistically insignificant effect on economic sustainability. Consequently, it was recommended that the Niger State ministry of agriculture and rural development in partnership with cooperative associations of the fish farmers and academic institutions should institutionalise and implement continuous structured training and workshops to strengthen the strategic competence of fish farmers in various areas like financial literacy, planning and budgeting.

2026-06-01T00:00:00Z Ochepa, Fati Oiza Ochepa, Abdulhafeez Abubakar Muniru, Suleiman http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31756 2026-07-05T06:44:57Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Development of AI-Powered Chatbot for Financial Inclusion of Underserved Population in Northern Nigeria Authors: Ochepa, Fati Oiza; Ochepa, Abdulhafeez Abubakar; Muniru, Suleiman Abstract: Financial inclusion is the availability and accessibility of financial services and products to individuals and businesses, regardless of their income level or location. Financial inclusion has remained a major challenge in Northern Nigeria, where a significant percentage of he population is either unbanked or under-banked as a result of the limited access to financial services, low level of financial literacy, and socio-cultural bottlenecks. To address this, the study developed an AI-powered chatbot, Naija BankPal, which is designed to bridge the financial inclusion gap among the underserved population in Northern Nigeria by providing access to financial orientation in English, Hausa, and Pidgin languages. Leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP) chnologies, Naija BankPal provides a user-friendly, interactive platform that provides financial guidance on banking services, types of accounts, savings, and investment opportunities. The chatbot adopts a dual deployment strategy, using both online platforms (through WhatsApp and Telegram) and offline services (via USSD-based services), effectively addressing the limitations of internet accessibility and digital literacy. This study suggests the need for effective support frameworks that will ensure the integration of AI-driven solutions into national financial inclusion strategies, with emphasis on digital literacy promotion, building trust, and investing in infrastructure. This paper recommends the fostering of partnership among relevant stakeholders, while continuous improvement and regular evaluations of the chatbot’s performance should be ensured to achieve a sustained impact.

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Ochepa, Abdulhafeez Abubakar http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31755 2026-07-05T06:12:42Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Moderating Effect of Entrepreneurial Motivation on Entrepreneurial Intention Behaviour Gap among Fresh Graduates in Nigeria: A Proposed Model Authors: Ochepa, Abdulhafeez Abubakar Abstract: The current economic realities of countries around the world enduring economic hardship, high unemployment and poverty, have made entrepreneurial development widely acknowledged and highly emphasized globally, with particular emphasis on developing Countries like Nigeria. However, it is very worrisome that despite the level of entrepreneurial education and intention among young graduates in Nigeria, the level of entrepreneurial behaviour, like venture creation, is still low, as majority of graduates still end-up looking for white collar jobs after graduating. This study therefore, adopt a critical review of relevant literatures, to assess the moderating effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the entrepreneurial intention-behaviour gap among fresh graduates in Nigeria. Moreover, the study proposed to advance the dimensions of Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour, being a popular theory used in entrepreneurial intention research. Literature revealed that Attitude, Subjective Norms, Perceived Behavioural Control, and Entrepreneurship Education, are major determinants of entrepreneurial intention which precedes entrepreneurial behaviour. Though, there seems to be a missing link between entrepreneurial intention and behavour among fresh graduates in Nigeria, entrepreneurial motivation should moderate the relationship. This study, however, recommends that empirical research be conducted to validate the predictive model developed in the study

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Ochepa, Fati Oiza Rufai, Malik Adeiza Ochepa, Abdulhafeez Abubakar Ndahi, Barka Piyinkir http://irepo.futminna.edu.ng:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/31754 2026-07-05T05:50:33Z 2025-06-17T00:00:00Z

Title: Scalable API-Based Infrastructure for Inter-Wallet Digital Transactions Authors: Ochepa, Fati Oiza; Rufai, Malik Adeiza; Ochepa, Abdulhafeez Abubakar; Ndahi, Barka Piyinkir Abstract: The accelerated growth of carrying out financial transactions digitally has given rise to the increasing reliance on electronic wallets (ewallets) as a means of conducting cashless payments. Interoperability between such e wallets has, however, remained a major challenge, hindering the conduct of seamless transactions across payment platforms. This study therefore proposes an Application Programming Interface (API) infrastructure to enable users to transfer funds across multiple closed and semi-closed e-wallet systems. The methodology deployed to achieve this goal involves the development of a (Representational State Transfer) REST-based API services deployed on a cloud-based infrastructure, enhancing secure, efficient, and scalable inter-wallet fund transfers. The adopted performance metrics include a measure of concurrent API requests recorded between 50 and 500 Requests per Second (RPS), average API response time between 200ms to 500ms and database transactions between 500 to 1000 Transactions per Second (TPS). The result of this system suggests an improved transaction speed, usability, and security. The findings contribute towards continuous research efforts to improve interoperability among digital transactions targeted at a holistic financial inclusivity.

2025-06-17T00:00:00Z