Published Online:March 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Business Strategy
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJBS010326
DOI:10.71329/IUPJBS/2026.23.1.5-27
Author Name:Mutiat Oyinlola Oladosu and Hafsat Olatanwa Afolabi
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Strategic
Download Format:PDF
Pages:5-27
The study comprehensively examines the structural interrelations between the adoption of digital platforms and the performance outcomes of businesses operated by women-led small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the south-west region of Nigeria.The methodological approach employed was structural equation modeling. The results substantiate that the adoption of digital platforms serves as a substantial positive predictor for both innovation hubs and entrepreneurial inclusion. Notably, AECT demonstrated the most pronounced impact, followed by FSMU and UDFS in terms of influence. Importantly, innovation hubs were identified as a critical mediating factor, effectively connecting digital platform utilization with concrete inclusion outcomes. Bootstrap analysis corroborated the significant indirect influences of FSMU, AECT, and UDFS on entrepreneurial inclusion through innovation hubs, affirming the notion that well structured support systems are imperative for optimizing the advantages of digital integration. Moreover, entrepreneurial inclusion was found to be a strong predictor of business performance growth, thereby reinforcing its significance as the ultimate mechanism through which digital tools and institutional support facilitate quantifiable business success. The study concludes that mere adoption of digital platforms is inadequate; rather, innovation hubs represent the ‘missing link’ that converts platform engagement into sustainable development.
The emergence of digital platforms has profoundly transformed the entrepreneurial landscape, engendering unparalleled prospects for business expansion and market accessibility. In Nigeria, a nation characterized by a swiftly burgeoning digital economy, female entrepreneurs are increasingly capitalizing on these technologies to surmount conventional obstacles, such as restricted access to physical marketplaces and financial resources (International Labor Organization, 2023).