Some socio-cultural issues in entrepreneurship development among some groups in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper used focus group discussions to identify the impacts of the extended family system and gender on entrepreneurship among the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba who constitute more than half of the Nigerian total population The study started by examining the various programmes introduced to encourage entrepreneurship in Nigeria using secondary data from both local and international sources. It was found that despite spirited efforts by Nigerian government to encourage entrepreneurship, little has been achieved. The extended family system and gender were implicated in the state of entrepreneurial activities among the study population. The paper concluded by recommending programmes and policies that consider the local peculiarities, an adaptation of foreign mediated entrepreneurial development programmes to local context and an educational policy targeted at changing the values and customs that are antientrepreneurial.