An Examination of Entrepreneurial Skills as a Mediator between Informa on Technology-Based Microfinance Interventions and Performance of Women-Owned Enterprises in North-Eastern Nigeria

This study investigated entrepreneurial skills as a mediator between information technology-based microfinance interventions and the performance of women-owned enterprises in North Eastern Nigeria. The study was conducted using a descriptive survey research design with a population of 1,262 women entrepreneurs who received microfinance interventions in six states namely Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Gombe, Adamawa, and Bauchi. Taro Yamane formula was used to select a sample size of 395 respondents, and an attrition percentage of 30 was added to it. Proportional representation was achieved by stratified random sampling, where each state and microfinance bank was represented propor onately. The research was carried using a structured questionnaire modeled on a 5-point likert scale and adapted to Kabira (2022). Data analysis was done using SPSS, both in descriptive and inferential statistics. The outcome of the analysis showed a high level of agreement on the effect of information technology interventions, with a composite mean score of 4.25. Regression analysis revealed a significant positive effect of IT-based interventions on enterprise performance (β = 0.598; R² = 0.357; t = 11.76; p < 0.001), accounting for 35.7% of the variation in performance. However, media on analysis using the PROCESS macro showed that entrepreneurial skills fully mediated the relationship between IT interventions and enterprise performance. The total effect was significant at 0.3734 (p < 0.001), but the direct effect was not statistically significant (0.0826, p = 0.1187). The indirect effect through entrepreneurial skills was strong and significant at 0.2910, with a confidence interval of 0.2007 to 0.3876 that excluded zero, and a robust t-statistic of 12.8948. The study concludes that entrepreneurial skills are essential in translating IT based microfinance interventions into measurable improvements in enterprise performance.