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Article History

Received: 13 March 2025

Accepted: 4 November 2025

First Online: 28 November 2025

Declarations

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: At the time this research was carried out, there was no existing ethical body in the researchers’ host institution. However, the study conformed to the relevant university and Nigeria’s National University Commission (NUC) policies and regulations on ethical publication practices, including proper attribution of authorship, avoidance of predatory journals, protection of the privacy of research participants, and regulations addressing intellectual property issues such as patents and copyrights. The study did not carry out experiments involving human beings nor use human data. The study researched the impact of the World Bank-sponsored APPEALS project on the development of agribusinesses in Nigeria’s Cross River State. However, given that the study required data through the administration of questionnaires and the conduct of interviews, the lead researcher wrote to the ministries, departments, and agencies involved in the implementation of the project, explaining the research thrust to obtain informed consent for the study. Informed consent for the administration of the questionnaires and the conduct of interviews was recorded using a tape recorder. However, informed consent was given verbally because the study is a low-risk study and does not endanger the participants nor violate the data-sharing regulations of the Nigerian Federation. Consequently, the research did not violate the Helsinki regulations nor the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 2023 Data Protection Act.

: The authors affirm that informed consent to publish the anonymized data generated by the researcher has been granted by the study’s participants. Also, approval for publication has been granted by a suitable legal guardian who assessed the ethical breaches and data-sharing regulations of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

: The authors declare no competing interests.