Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examined the contribution of Enugu State’s fiscal policies and targeted empowerment programmes to the financial resilience and credit access of women, youth, and vulnerable groups within the state’s banking and microfinance ecosystem. Against the backdrop of sustained high social-sector budget allocations, rapid growth in internally generated revenue, and a dense portfolio of MSME, grant, skills and credit-facilitation initiatives coordinated largely through the Enugu SME Center, a descriptive survey of 276 beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries was conducted across urban and rural locations in 2026. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and multiple regression. Results indicate that participation in state-supported empowerment and finance-linked programmes is positively associated with improved financial literacy, formal account ownership, ability to smooth consumption shocks, and self-reported access to formal or semi-formal credit. Women participants reported particularly strong gains in group-based savings and grant utilisation; youth participants showed higher uptake of digital-skills and productivity-credit windows such as YouthCred. Persistent barriers include documentation requirements, limited branch density in some rural wards, and residual collateral constraints. The study concludes that fiscal prioritisation of social and economic inclusion, when operationalised through coordinated empowerment and finance-facilitation platforms, measurably strengthens the financial resilience of priority groups and improves their interface with the banking ecosystem. Recommendations address programme design, bank-state collaboration, and measurement of inclusion outcomes.