Title: Migrants' participation in entrepreneurial activities in Imo State, Nigeria

Authors: Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke; Jonathan Ogbeni Aligbe

Addresses: Department of Agricultural Economics, Imo State University, PMB 2000, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria ' Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract: The study analysed migrants' participation in entrepreneurial activities in Imo State, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty migrants who own businesses were selected and questionnaire administered to them. A statistical analysis of their responses indicated five major businesses pursued by the migrants. These include agricultural businesses, retail and wholesale trade, professional services, manufacturing and construction, and others. Most of the businesses declared by the migrants (45.00%) were agricultural, and the factors determining the choice of such businesses were gender, age, places settled prior to settling in Imo State, length of stay in Imo State, presence of role models, access to start-up capital and experience in business development. The migrants were mainly constrained by inadequate support from government in starting their own businesses in Imo State. In consideration of these findings, several components of national and state policies on migration that Nigeria and Imo State and their partners should address are recommended.

Keywords: migrants; entrepreneurial activities; purposive sampling; descriptive statistics; probit regression; determinants; constraints; Imo State; Nigeria; migrant participation; entrepreneurship; government support; immigrants.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMRM.2016.079472

International Journal of Migration and Residential Mobility, 2016 Vol.1 No.3, pp.269 - 282

Received: 27 Jan 2016
Accepted: 17 Jul 2016
Published online: 28 Sep 2016 *

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