Assessment of Social Impact of SMEDAN Interventions on Small Business Owners in Kebbi State

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria has implemented a range of capacity building, financing, and market access programmes targeting micro and small enterprise owners in Nigeria's less economically developed northern states, yet social impact assessment of these interventions at the beneficiary level remains rare. This study assesses the social impact of SMEDAN interventions on small business owners in Kebbi State, North West Nigeria. A professional programme evaluation design was adopted, combining structured surveys administered to 130 SMEDAN programme beneficiaries and 80 non-beneficiary comparison group members in Birnin Kebbi, Zuru, and Argungu, with structured interviews with eight SMEDAN state office staff. The Social Impact Assessment methodology and the Capabilities Approach provided the evaluative frameworks. Results indicate that SMEDAN training programme beneficiaries demonstrated significantly higher business revenue growth (mean 34% increase over two years) compared to the non-beneficiary comparison group (mean 11% increase). Female beneficiaries reported particularly high impact on business confidence and social recognition within their communities, though their revenue gains were lower than male counterparts due to lower initial capital endowments. Access to SMEDAN micro-credit was reported as inadequate by 71% of beneficiaries, with loan amounts typically insufficient for meaningful enterprise expansion. Social outcomes including improved household food security and children's school fee payment reliability were significantly higher among beneficiaries. Recommendations include increasing SMEDAN credit facility amounts, gender-responsive programme design, and quarterly beneficiary follow-up monitoring in Kebbi State. Keywords: SMEDAN, small business, social impact, Kebbi State, enterprise development.