ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN ENUGU STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (2007-2014)
ABSTRACT
This study examined entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Enugu State local governments. It also ascertained the impact of entrepreneurship on the sustainable development of Enugu state local governments as regards to diversification of the economy, utilization of local resources, dispersal of economic activities, wealth generation, improvement in rural infrastructure and living standards of the people, mobilization of savings etc. The research design was a combination of primary and secondary data. One hundred and thirty five questionnaires were administered to entrepreneurs from the three constitutionally recognized senatorial zones of Enugu East, Enugu West, and Enugu North respectively and one local government was selected from each of the senatorial zones, being Nsukka, Udi, and Agwu local governments areas respectively to generate primary data that treated appropriate research questions and four hypotheses were tested accordingly. The method of data analysis adopted in this study was frequency distribution tables, simple percentages, tables and content analysis. And chi-square was used in testing the hypotheses. The study found out that entrepreneurial activities enhanced sustainable development in Enugu state local governments. In addition, effective provision of credit facilities enhanced entrepreneurship on sustainable development in the state. And inadequate financial resources were a contributory factor that militated against entrepreneurship on sustainable development in Enugu state local governments. Consequently it is rational that governments at all levels should ensure the equitable allocation and distribution of the national wealth and income to the citizens and the willing entrepreneurs of the state concerned instead of the unfair concentration of such scarce resources into fewer hands which would only be detrimental to the socio-economic stability and growth of the state. Lastly, assistance to entrepreneurs in product quality businesses by institution like the standard organization of Nigeria (SON) and the Raw Material Development Council of Nigeria is needed.