Gender in the facets of information technology and training in agricultural enterprises: the role of corporate social responsibility initiatives in Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies' (MOCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on female agricultural entrepreneur's access to information technology and training in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a survey research technique, aimed at gathering information from a representative sample of the population, as it is essentially cross-sectional, describing and interpreting the current situation. A total of 700 female agricultural entrepreneur respondents were sampled across the rural areas of the Niger Delta region. Findings The results from the use of a recursive bivariate probit model indicate that participation of female agricultural entrepreneurs in the cluster development boards (CDBs) of GMoU has a positive correlation with access to information technology and training, and can increase the probability of the access by 5.84% in the region. Research limitations/implications This suggests that improving entrepreneurial women's access to agricultural technologies can be facilitated through participatory gender-inclusive GMoUs' technology development programs and the provision of gender-sensitive training services in the MOCs' host communities. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature on gender discourse in information technology for agriculture from a CSR perspective in developing countries and rationale for demands for social project by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern.