Entrepreneurial Culture and the Performance of Agro-Allied Smes in North Central Nigeria

This paper is a part of my thesis titled “Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Components and the Performance of Agroallied SMEs in North Central, Nigeria. It investigates the effect of entrepreneurial culture on the performance of agro-allied small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in North Central Nigeria, a region central to the country’s agricultural value chain. Using a quantitative research approach, primary data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to agro-allied SME operators and employees across seven states and the Federal Capital Territory. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, with simple random sampling applied to a population of 1,492 registered SMEs, yielding 713 valid responses for analysis. Entrepreneurial culture was measured through societal attitudes toward entrepreneurship, risk-taking, innovation, role modelling, fear of failure, and community support, while SME performance was proxied by competitive advantage. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis. The results reveal a highly supportive entrepreneurial culture within the study area and demonstrate a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between culture and SME performance (β = 0.766, p < .001). The structural model indicates that entrepreneurial culture explains 68.2% of the variance in SME performance, highlighting its substantial explanatory power. These findings suggest that shared values, norms, and social support systems play a critical role in enhancing innovation, resilience, and competitiveness among agro-allied SMEs. The study concludes that strengthening pro-entrepreneurial cultural norms and community support mechanisms can significantly improve SME performance and sustainability, providing important policy and practical insights for fostering enterprise growth in Nigeria’s agrarian regions.

Entrepreneurial Culture, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Nigeria

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