INDIGENOUS FINANCE AND EMPOWERMENT: LEVERAGING LOCAL SAVINGS, MICROFINANCE, AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRIPRENEURSHIP IN NORTHEASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Women living in rural, conflict-affected areas of Sub-Saharan Africa face significant financial resource constraints, limiting their ability to participate in sustainable agribusiness activities. This study looks into the impact of local savings systems (Asusu), microfinance institutions, and government initiatives on the empowerment of rural female farmers in northeastern Nigeria. The study, which is based on feminist empowerment and institutional voids theories, takes a convergent mixed-methods approach, combining survey data from 1,146 participants with qualitative interviews conducted in Adamawa, Bauchi, and Gombe. The financial mechanisms and empowerment outcomes were evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM) and thematic analysis. The study found that Asusu is the most effective catalyst for empowerment (β = 0.72, p < 0.001), acting as social collateral.