EFFECT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION ON PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE ENTERPRISES IN NORTH CENTRAL REGION OF NIGERIA

Small and medium scale enterprises play a significant role as a catalyst for economic growth and wealth development. However, due to inadequate entrepreneurial skills, SMEs in Nigeria are performing below human expectation. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on small and medium scale enterprises performance of North Central Region in Nigeria. It specifically sough to find out how the components of entrepreneurial orientation such as innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness, autonomy as well as competitive aggressiveness affect the small and medium scale enterprises performance in North Central Region. Primary data was collected using five point Likert scaling questionnaire and analyzed by using regression. Data obtained for the purpose of this study was prior to the analysis; undergo different validity and reliability scrutiny so as to eliminate all forms of errors arising from the analysis. The findings of the study reveal that components of entrepreneurial orientation (such as innovativeness, risk- taking, proactiveness, autonomy as well as competitive aggressiveness) have positive and significant effect on the SMEs performance in North Central Region. The results, therefore, call for intensive effort by the government, SMEs owners/managers and specialized agencies (like SMEDAN). Government should also ensure adequate provision of a conducive macroeconomic environment (such as uninterrupted electricity and water supplies, easy access to credit facilities, good road networks and many others)to serve as a solid platform for the SMEs to become entrepreneurial oriented in the region and the world at large.