EFFECT OF SOCIAL NETWORK ON THE PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN NORTH CENTRAL, NIGERIA

This study examine the effect of social network on the performance of women entrepreneurs in north central, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design. The population used for this study comprised of all women entrepreneurs in the selected states in the North central (Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, and Federal Capital Territory), Nigeria. The population of the study was defined as unknown since it was difficult to ascertain the total population of women entrepreneurs in the North central Nigeria. Therefore, the study relied on a Cochran (7977) sample size determination formula for unknown population to determine the sample size of four hundred and seven (407) women entrepreneiirs in North Central Nigeria. The study employed convenience sampling technique to select the respondentsfor this study from each state. Questionnaire was utilized as instrument for data collection. Partial Least Squares (PLS) algorithm and bootstrap techniques were used to test the study's hypothesis (PLS-SEM). The results provide support for the hypothesized relationship between the variables used in the study. The study found that social network diversity and social network size has a positive and statistically significant relationship on the performance of women entrepreneurship in the selected North central States of Nigeria, while social network strength has a positive and statistically significant relationship on the performance of women entrepreneurship in the selected North central States of Nigeria Therefore, the study recommends that present and potential women entrepreneurs in the North central (Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, and Federal Capital Territory), Nigeria should endeavor to focus on building a strong, sustainable and mutual beneficial relationship to enhance communication and exposure to new ideas that will be relevant to enterprise creation and growth.