Attitudinal disposition of extension personnel to utilisation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in North-West, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the attitude of extension workers towards the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in North-Western Nigeria. The study involved 323 extension workers, comprising 304 agents and 19 supervisors, who were surveyed using questionnaires. The findings revealed that most of the extension workers were male (88.5%) and married (89.8%), with more than half (54.3%) of the extension agents were aged between 41-50 years and supervisors aged 51-60 (52.6%). The agents had smaller household sizes (1-10 members, 47.4%), while supervisors had larger households (11-20 members, 63.2%). Majority of the extension workers held a Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate. The agents earned an average annual income of N379, 051, while supervisors earned N 1,069,074. The study found that traditional ICTs (radio, TV, phone) were widely used among extension workers, while modern ICTs (computer, scanner, DVD, Web, printer, email) were more common among supervisors, except for DVD. Notably, extension workers showed a positive attitude towards ICT use, which was not significantly influenced by socioeconomic characteristics, except for education among supervisors, which correlated positively and strongly (p<0.01). The study concludes that extension workers in North-Western Nigeria have a positive attitude towards ICT adoption, regardless of age, income, awareness, and experience. To enhance their work, it is recommended that extension agencies provide modern ICTs, bridging the gap between agents and supervisors. This will enable them to effectively utilize ICTs, improving agricultural extension services in the region.