Clusters, Networks, and Innovation in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (Smes): The Role of Productive Investment in the Development of Smes in Niger

The book presents a new approach towards the promotion of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs). Over three decades there have been controversies in development policy circles on whether SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa have the potential to create and sustain employment, generate income, alleviate poverty, and contribute to economic growth. The concerns were due to the worsening employment crisis in the region, increasing poverty, structural weakness and increasing globalisation pressure. Several theoretical approaches with respect to promoting Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in the region are discussed in the book, notably the view that certain internal and external constraints are limiting the growth of SMEs, and the view that specific obstacles, such as access to finance, local and global markets, entrepreneurship and management, human resources and training, information, innovation, and access to networks and technological capability have been extensively investigated.

Osmund Osinachi Uzor was born in Umuabi in Enugu State of Nigeria. He worked briefly at the First Bank of Nigeria (PLc) before proceeding to University of Benin (Nigeria) where he obtained a BSc degree in Industrial Mathematics. After his National Youths Service, he moved to Germany to study economics. He obtained a MSc and PhD in Economics at the University of Bremen. The author has published extensively on issues relating to Nigerian and African Development Perspectives.