TRADE AND EMERGENCE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN TIVLAND (1900 – 2020)
TRADE AND EMERGENCE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN TIVLAND (1900 – 2020)

Summary/Abstract: Trade and entrepreneurship are inextricably linked in all societies. Humans do not only engage in trade. They do so to profit, and when they can distinguish themselves in specific areas, they become successful entrepreneurs in those sectors. This research investigates the relationship between trade and entrepreneurship in Tivland from pre-colonial to post-colonial periods. The study contends that trade has existed among the Tiv people of Central Nigeria since far before colonialism. However, colonialists' integration of the Tiv economy into the global capitalist market increased trade in Tivland, resulting in the rise of many Tiv traders and entrepreneurs. However, from the late 1990s to the present, Tivland has seen a significant drop in trade and business. Several factors have been identified as contributing to the decline, including a drop in agricultural and industrial productivity in Benue State, a lack of adequate business education, a lack of financial discipline among younger generations, a lack of a good business succession plan, cultural impediments, and poor government policies, among others. To overcome hurdles, the government must establish an enabling climate for businesses to prosper, and citizens must have a favourable business mentality to stimulate trade and entrepreneurship. The study employs a historical approach to analysis, drawing on both secondary and primary sources.

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