The relevance of small and medium-scale enterprises to the economic development of Uganda
Abstract
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a major role in most economies, particularly in developing countries. SMEs account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation and global economic development. This study aimed at assessing SMEs' relevance to Uganda's economic development. The study used data from the Uganda Enterprise Survey of 2013. Data were analyzed using STATA version 15.0 software at univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis, and were presented using tables and frequencies.
The findings showed that existed a significant statistical association between capital size, education level, marital status, age, and gender with the sales performance of SMEs. This makes the stated null hypothesis false and true for the alternative hypothesis. However, at multivariate analysis, education level, age, types of products, and gender were found to be the only determining factors for the SMEs’ performance.
Therefore, the researcher recommends; financial empowering projects should be initiated in the country so as to boost the business managed by the women, financial knowledge to guide them on how they can raise the performance of their businesses, and regional and village financial management programs taught in the different language should be existed to business owners by the government and local government.