Information Provision for Innovation and Development of Micro and Small Scale Enterprises (MSEs): An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The state of Micro and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSEs) in Nigeria has been of great concern to the government, citizens, operators, practitioners, and organized private sectors. Over the years, MSEs have not played the expected significant role in economic growth. To this end, this study explored the role of information provided to the innovation and development of MSEs in Nigeria. Four objectives that guided the study were bothered on available sources of information, access, its influence on MSEs, and challenges confronting MESs. The study population consisted of eighteen MSE owners selected using a stratified sampling technique. Data were generated through the aid of semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis, by thoroughly and without bias identifying specified uniqueness and major themes of participants’ messages. Responses to each in-depth interview question were summarized and important quotations were reported verbatim to complement the findings in the survey. The study found that mentorship, seminar, television, fashion shows, newspaper, apprenticeship, textbooks, and the internet were the major sources of information used by MSEs owners for their businesses. Accessibility to relevant information was high to an appreciable extent. Information has influenced entrepreneurial activities in the areas of meeting up with international best practices, creativity, and product innovation. However, challenges facing entrepreneurship were in two clusters namely: personal constraints (financial constraint, inadequate training, hoarding of information and ignorance) and political bottlenecks (non-governmental support, bad road, poor internet access, and epileptic power supply). The study concludes that information has been a vital source of innovation and development of MSEs in Nigeria. To forestall the challenges, recommendations were made in the study.