Impact of Entrepreneurial Performance on Job Creation in Small and Medium Enterprises in Abuja Municipal Area Council

Abstract

The need for entrepreneurship has continued to shape the Nigeria’s economic and industrial policy since independence. The dynamic economic situation in Nigeria and indeed the world today needs flexible people with capacity to create, sustain and improve business activities. Eradication of unemployment in general and especially youth unemployment has become the prevalent developmental challenge in almost every country in the world. Unemployment is a problem that the Nigeria as a nation is facing. How to create credible jobs in Nigeria has therefore become imperative. This study investigated the impact of entrepreneurial performance on job creation in small and medium enterprises in of Federal Capital Territory (FCT)-Abuja. A sample of 400 respondents involved in the study from the council. They were selected by using simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire was designed, developed and validated through expert judgement and reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained. In the findings, improvement in the standard of living through acquisition of skills, reduction in rural-urban migrations, development of local technological base, conservation of foreign exchanges and enhancement of entrepreneurial innovations were identified as the impact of entrepreneurial performance on job creation. The null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance, and it was discovered that there was significant relationship between entrepreneurial performance and job creation in Abuja Municipal Area Council. Based on these findings, some recommendations were made which include: adequate infra-structural facilities for entrepreneurial trainings should be provided towards vocational and technical skills acquisition and provision of credit facilities at affordable interest rate to enhance more participation in small and medium enterprises.