Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to appraise theoretically and empirically the status of ESAs in Nigeria. Government agencies, organized private sector, industrial associations and international institutions constitute ESAs in Nigeria and have been in the forefront of MSMEs’ development, through enabling environment. The study used a qualitative multiple case study by purposively contacting 56 SME operators in Matori, Lagos Industrial Centre for interview. Data were gathered from 30 firms that agreed to participate through structured interview and relevant documents. The content analysis of available information reveals the interaction of SMEs with regulatory agencies for certification. However, a performance appraisal of ESAs indicates that these agencies have been ineffective due to poor implementation resulting from challenges such as bureaucratic bottleneck, high costs of services, corruption, lack of infrastructure and inadequate staffing to mention just a few. The paper, therefore, recommends a change in value system, empowerment of ESAs, availability of MSMEs’ databases, effective communication and publicity, and consolidation of existing ESAs with duplicating roles for ESAs to be relevant in MSMEs’ development

Keywords: