EFFECT OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) USAGE ON CASHEW NUT MARKETINGEFFICIENCY IN OYO STATE

Abstract

The study examined the effects of ICT usage on cashew nut marketing efficiency in Oyo State. Amulti-stage sampling procedure sampling procedure was used to select a total of 200 respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings showed that 88% of respondents were male, with an average age of 47 years. Most(85.5%) of the respondents had secondary education or higher, and 78% relied on cashew marketing as their main occupation, with an average experience of 16.9 years. ICT adoption was highest for mobile apps (92%) and WhatsApp (90%), moderate for Facebook (87.5%) and Instagram (54%), while Twitter and TikTok were not used. Cashew marketing was profitable, with a marketing margin of ₦27,941.46 and MER of 1.333. The findings show that age, marital status, marketing experience, primary occupation, marketing type, and social influence are not significant determinants of ICT use (p > 0.05). In contrast, sex, education level, household size, ICT training, and access to credit significantly influence ICT adoption (p < 0.05), indicating that capacity-building and resource-related factors drive ICT use The study recommends subsidized ICT tools, targeted training, more credit access, and stronger digital infrastructure.