Effects of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Export Performance of Manufacturing SMEs in Kano, Nigeria

The basic objective of this study was to assess the effects of innovativeness, risk-taking and proactiveness on the performance of exporting manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Kano, Nigeria. Based on a theoretical consideration a model was proposed and three hypotheses were formulated. Survey questionnaires were used in the data collection and a total of 110 useable responses were received from the owner/managers of exporting manufacturing SMEs in Kano. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed in the data analysis. The results of the analysis depict that pro activeness; innovativeness and risk-taking have significant effect on export performance of manufacturing SMEs. The managerial implication of this study indicates that EO is a significant internal determinant of export performance. Exporting SMEs’ managers could take complementary advantage of pro- activeness, innovativeness, and risk-taking resources to perform more than their competitors. The study recommends leverage renewal strategy on incentives giving to SMEs and reconfigure innovativeness; revamping all old Industrial Development Centres and establish new ones (IDCs); establishing SMEs clusters; upgrading rural urban road, introduce entrepreneurial studies; and emphasize science among others