MJAAR

Technology In Business Operations Among Nakasero Traders In Kampala, Uganda

Tulirinya Maureen, Magala Muhammed


Abstract

This study examined the role of technology in business operations among traders in Nakasero Market, one of Kampala's oldest, largest, and most commercially dynamic fresh-produce and wholesale markets, serving as the primary commodity distribution hub for the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area. The study was motivated by the rapid but uneven diffusion of digital business tools including mobile money payment platforms, digital inventory management applications, social media marketing channels, and online supply chain communication technologies across Nakasero's heterogeneous trader population, and by the absence of systematic empirical evidence on which technology adoption dimensions most significantly influenced trader business performance outcomes including revenue growth, operational efficiency, customer retention, and market reach expansion. Drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 284 purposively and randomly selected traders from across Nakasero Market's seven trading zones, supplemented by key informant interviews with market leadership, Uganda Revenue Authority representatives, and Uganda Communications Commission officials, and by structured business observation sessions, the study employed descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analysis, multiple linear regression, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with path analysis to examine how mobile money and digital payment adoption, digital marketing and social media utilisation, and digital supply chain communication technology influenced overall business operations performance. Descriptive statistics revealed moderate to high levels of mobile money adoption (mean = 4.07) and moderate adoption of digital marketing (mean = 3.48) and supply chain communication technologies (mean = 3.21). Pearson correlation confirmed highly significant positive relationships between all three technology dimensions and business operations performance (r = 0.614–0.782, p < .001). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that the three technology dimensions collectively explained 67.8% of the variance in business operations performance (R² = 0.678, F = 53.41, p < .001), with mobile money and digital payment adoption emerging as the dominant predictor (β = 0.447, p < .001). Structural Equation Modelling confirmed mobile money adoption as the construct with the largest total effect on business performance (total β = 0.534), with digital marketing partially mediating this relationship (indirect path β = 0.144). The study concluded that technology adoption was a statistically powerful and practically significant driver of business operations performance among Nakasero traders, with mobile money infrastructure as the nonnegotiable digital foundation and digital marketing as the highest-growth-potential investment for trader performance improvement. Recommendations address structured digital literacy training, fintech partnership development, affordable smartphone access programmes, and market management digital infrastructure investment as priority interventions for market associations, Kampala Capital City Authority, and the Uganda Communications Commission.

Keywords

Technology Adoption Business Operations Nakasero Market Mobile Money Digital Marketing Supply Chain Communication Trader Performance SEM Kampala Uganda
Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research

Cite This Article

Tulirinya Maureen & Magala Muhammed (2026). Technology In Business Operations Among Nakasero Traders In Kampala, Uganda. Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research, 5(9). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=1861

More in This Issue

View full issue →
21
The Relationship Between School Farms And Learners’ Interest In Agriculture Among Primary Schools In Uganda: The Case Of Balawoli Sub-County, Kamuli District
Batesaki Stephen, Mirembe Suzan
School farms learners’ interest in agriculture experiential learning primary schools
22
The Role Of E-Commerce In Expanding Market Research For Uganda Smes: A Case Study Of Jumia Uganda
Moro Ronald, Irumba Alex
E-commerce market research SMEs Jumia Uganda
24
The Role Of Wetlands In Flood Regulation: A Case Study Of Nakivubo Wetland, Kampala City
Ssegirinya Ronald, Ngumenawe Moses
Wetlands flood regulation ecosystem services urban flooding
25
Uganda's Refugee Policy And Regional Stability In Host Communities: A Case Study Of Nakivale Refugee Settlement In Isingiro District, Uganda
Kabasinguzi Priscilla, Kiwanuka Rashid
Uganda's Refugee Policy Regional Stability and Host Communities