The Igbo Entrepreneur in the Political Economy of Nigeria

Abstract

Central to the capitalist orientation introduced to the Third World nations through colonialism is the role of entrepreneurs in development. This group is still perceived as inevitable if these nations are to develop. In spite of all the attempts to develop date, very little is being achieved. While this monograph recognises the importance of entrepreneurs in development, it asserts that these entrepreneurs have always existed in pre-colonial Nigeria but the re-orientation brought about through capitalism has fundamentally affected the pre-colonial situation. As such, there is a disjuncture between the latter and the present capitalist expectation. More importantly, the author tries to debunk the position of certain Europian writers that certain ethnic groups are better entrepreneurs than others. Thus, the responsiveness of the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria to European economic incentives was a result of a certain historico-sociological position that this group occupies in Nigeria, It is posited that as the nation approaches the twenty-first-century, one cannot say with certainty that ethnicity should be the main consideration for entrepreneurial ability. It is the political economy of each nation within the World Capitalist System that will determine the emergent scenario.