The Role of Government in the Development of MSMEs in Nigeria between 1991 and 2012

The main thrust of this study was to investigate the role of government in the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria between 1991 and 2012. Three research hypotheses were formulated to guide and direct the study. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 300 respondents was selected and used for the study. Data for the study was collected using a validated and structured questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. Results from the findings revealed that: there exist a significant relationship between the provision of government capacity building programmes and development of MSMEs within the years under study. A significant relationship existed between financial support by Government and the development of MSMEs in Nigeria and a significant relationship exists between the provision of infrastructure by government and the development of MSMEs in Nigeria. The study recommended that; since the issue of inadequate human capacity is a challenge to MSMEs in the country, government should continue to develop and provide capacity building opportunities to enhance process improvement for this sector. In the same manner, government should take the issue of provision of technology, industrial or business clusters very seriously to address the problem of affordable technological support for MSMEs.