Abstract

Cooperative societies have facilitated business proprietors in expanding their enterprises, income, and enhancing their standard of living as well. The study investigated the impact of cooperative involvement on the enhancement of small-scale enterprises (SES) in Ijebu North-East Local Government Area, Ogun-State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was utilized to select a sample size of 120 respondents through a well-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted utilizing descriptive and inferential statistics. The majority (79.2%) of the respondents were females within a specific age bracket, literate, and had a moderate average household size of 6 individuals. Five (5) out of ten (10) variables regressed were statistically significant. The R² value from the regression function estimation was 0.650, indicating that 65% of the variations in the models were accounted for. Undeniably, it was revealed that cooperative participation demonstrated a positive impact on small-scale businesses. F- Statistics 24.22*** was significant at 0.01, this showed that the overall significant indicated that the models displayed a good fit. The challenges confronting small-scale enterprises identified included insufficient capital, inadequate road networking improper business accounting and record-keeping, suitable location/accessibility, lack of necessary skills and technical expertise, absence of confidence, and inefficient management. Therefore, this study recommended that cooperatives should persist with monthly target savings as its greatly benefits members, cooperative societies need to educate and enlighten cooperators further on the importance of cooperatives and encourage them to embrace it more. Both cooperative societies and governments at all levels should provide adequate credit facilities for members to expand their enterprises and augment their income.

Keywords: Cooperatives, Incomes, Small-Scale Enterprises, Savings, Participations, Improvement