An evaluation of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Lusaka : a case study of Ng’ombe township.
The study's main objective was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium scale businesses (SMEs) in Ng’ombe Township, Lusaka. The study's specific objectives were to identify the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on the performance of SMEs business, to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on the financial performance of SMEs business, to determine the level of relief provided by the government to the SMEs to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data. Using the purposive sampling technique, 98 SMEs were sampled from Ng’ombe Township (out of the 4,500 list of registered SMEs in Lusaka for 2018). Utilizing questionnaires and interviewing protocols, data was gathered. 98 questionnaires in all were distributed, 95 completed questionnaires were gathered from participants in the data collection. This represented a 96.9% response rate. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. According to study results, 46.3% of participants said that a decrease in the number of customers or orders was the biggest impact of lockdown measures on the performance of their business. Furthermore, the field survey data revealed that 42.1% of participants indicated that there was a 40% reduction in revenues as the biggest impact of covid-19 on financial performance of SMEs businesses. In terms of what relief government provided to assist SMEs in order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, the survey data revealed that 90.5% of participants indicated they had not received any assistance. The following recommendations were arrived at: Policy makers should prioritize measures aimed at improving access to financial support for SMEs in Ng'ombe, implement targeted training, capacity building programs, and strengthen institutional support.
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