IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

WORLD JOURNAL OF ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT STUDIES (WJEDS )

E-ISSN 2579-0544
P-ISSN 2695-2483
VOL. 9 NO. 6 2024
DOI: 10.56201/wjeds.v9.no6.2024.pg50.58

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Entrepreneurship and the Nigerian Informal Sector: The Role of Entrepreneurial Orientation

Anietie Peter Akpan, Augustine Brendan Inyang

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Abstract

In explaining participation in the informal sector of any economy, scholars have used either the structuralist or the voluntarist approach but rarely consider the entrepreneurial approach. This study adopts the entrepreneurial approach and explores the influence of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO), as a behavioural attribute, on entrepreneurial performance in the informal sector of the Nigerian economy. This study was conducted in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria using a randomly selected sample of 600 owners/managers of businesses operating in the informal sector. Data for this study were collected using an adapted questionnaire. Findings from the study indicate that though IEO has significant influence on entrepreneurial performance, the different dimensions of IEO exert varying levels of influence on entrepreneurial performance. Consequently, it was recommended that government at all levels in Nigeria should invest in this sector of the economy so as to enable the sector to thrive and continue to contribute to the economy of the nation.

keywords:

Individual entrepreneurial orientation, Proactiveness, Risk-taking, Innovativeness

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