Stakeholders' Perceptions of the Impact of the Global System for Mobile Communications on Nigeria Rural Economy: Implications for an Emerging Communications Industry

Purpose – The major purpose of the study was to examine the impact of GSM on the economies of the rural dwellers in Nigeria, specifically, on job creation, time management, reduction in crime rate and their general income flow. *Methodology/ Approach- The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, and data was collected using a questionnaire administered to one thousand respondents randomly selected from ten rural communities in a part of Nigeria. *Research Limitations/ Implications- The sample was taken from a state of the federation out of the 36 states in Nigeria, however, the rural communities represent typical rural villages in the country, hence, the findings could be generalized for the whole country. *Practical Implications- The GSM is an emerging communication industry in Africa, with Nigeria rated as one of the fastest growing market in this field of communication. However, the impact of the communication system is largely felt in the urban cities, the impact on the rural dwellers is still marginally poor. Hence, focus should be shifted to the utilization of the GSM for the development of rural economies in Africa, Nigeria inclusive. *The Originality/ Value of the Paper- The paper is a product of a recent survey carried out by the authors; hence the findings reported here are original and reflect the current views and practices in the rural communities in Nigeria with regards to the impact of the communication mode. Apart from some ‘market’ researches in this area, this perhaps represents one of the few academic thorough researches in the field in Nigeria. Key Words: Nigeria, Communications, Global System of Communication, Economy, Rural, Industry