Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026): MAAUN International Journal of Postgraduate studies (MIJPS)
Articles

The Role of Smallholder Maize Farmers’ Attitude on the Sustainability of the Anchor Borrowers Programme in Nigeria

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  • Musbahu Abba El Yakub,
  • Abdullahi Hassan Gorondutse,
  • Mahmuod Mukhtar Sa'idu
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59479/jiaheri.v2i1.135
Categories

Published 03/25/2026

Keywords

  • Anchors,
  • Anchor Borrowers’ Programme,
  • Sustainability,,
  • Attitude,,
  • Subjective Norms,
  • Perceived Behavioural Control.
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

El Yakub, M. A. ., Gorondutse, A. H., & Sa'idu, M. M. (2026). The Role of Smallholder Maize Farmers’ Attitude on the Sustainability of the Anchor Borrowers Programme in Nigeria. Journal of Institute of Africa Higher Education Research and Innovation (IAHERI), 2(1), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.59479/jiaheri.v2i1.135

Abstract

In their desire to diversify the national economy, various governments in Nigeria have cumulatively invested trillions of Naira over the past six decades in grants and loans to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. In particular, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been involved in many such interventions. Among those interventions is the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), in which the CBN loaned out over N1 trillion to smallholder farmers and anchors between 2015 and 2024. The success and sustainability of such commendable programmes are, however, intricately linked to the repayment made by the beneficiaries under the schemes. The aim of this study, therefore, is to examine the role of smallholder maize farmers’ attitude in Nigeria on the sustainability of the ABP. The conceptual framework of the study was developed on the principles of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The independent variable of the study is Attitude (ATT), while the dependent variable is the loan repayment intention, proxied as Sustainability of the Programme (SUS). 488 smallholder maize farmers that benefitted from the ABP in the forty-four local government areas of Kano State were selected through random sampling. A structured questionnaire was administered to the sample for primary data. Simultaneous multiple regression analysis using SPSS Version 22 was carried out on the collected data. With an R-squared of 0.415, the model was significant at F=68.268 and sig=0.01. The results showed that the relationship between ATT and SUS was not significant. Consequently, the sustainability of the Anchor Borrowers Programme was not influenced by borrower attitude. Therefore, policymakers and managers should focus on other behaviour factors to enhance loan repayment and sustainability of their credit programmes.

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