Oluseye O Jegede, Ph.D | University of Johannesburg, South Africa (original) (raw)

Papers by Oluseye O Jegede, Ph.D

Mainstream studies on innovation consider innovation processes as necessarily driven by expenditu... more Mainstream studies on innovation consider innovation processes as necessarily driven by expenditures on formal R&D and the input of engineers and scientists with third-level degrees. This bias in the literature has led to the view that micro-and small enterprises (MSEs), which constitute the majority of Africa's enterprise base, are non-innovative. Building on an existing critique largely emerging from developing countries, this study provides evidence that, despite their lack of formal R&D expenditures, MSEs in Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda are in fact active innovators. The paper argues that the mainstream literature fails to capture important dynamics and practices that are central to innovation in MSEs. Arguing that the way work activity is organised is closely linked to learning, capability development and, ultimately, innovation, the paper unpacks the relationships between these three processes with evidence from MSEs in the four African countries. The empirical findings demonstrate that an important basis for the innovativeness of African MSEs is the adaptability of employees and their ability to learn on the job and to make use of their own ideas in solving the problems they face in work.

This study contributes to the growing literature on innovation capability in the informal sector ... more This study contributes to the growing literature on innovation capability in the informal sector in Nigeria. It explores the role of openness as a facilitator for measuring innovation capability, and proposes openness as a metric for the measurement of innovation capability in the informal sector. This new metric was tested using 200 informal information and communication technology (ICT) enterprises at the Otigba hardware cluster, which is located in the Nigerian commercial capital of Lagos and is regarded as a key ICT hub in West Africa. The main research instrument was a set of questionnaires designed to capture the core objective of the research. All 200 questionnaires were retrieved and found suitable for analysis. The questionnaires elicited information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the enterprises, the attributes of the Otigba cluster, the strength of the enterprises, the strength of the cluster, the extent of innovations within the cluster, and the proximity advantages drawn from clustering. Spearman’s correlation and binary logistic regression were used to determine the direction and impact of the various independent variables (determinants of innovation capability) on the dependent variable (the extent of innovation as a proxy for innovation capability). It was found that openness plays a very significant role in access to: information, customers, new domestic markets, tools and technology, suppliers of raw materials, and inputs. However, openness was found to play only a limited role in finished products for the export market. It was also found that much more still needs to be done by the enterprises to build up their internal capabilities, so as to reduce their reliance on external sources of knowledge—notwithstanding the fact that exposure to external capabilities, through cooperation and openness, will remain necessary to complement enterprises’ internal capabilities.

The study mapped innovation activities in the formal and informal mining sector in Nigeria. Data ... more The study mapped innovation activities in the formal and informal mining sector in Nigeria. Data were collected through primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected through guided questionnaire administration, guided interviews and personal observation. A purposive sampling method was adopted to select firms that are micro, small and medium enterprises. The study covered 100 (50 in the formal sector and 50 in the informal sector) purposively selected companies in southwestern Nigeria. Secondary data were collected from different published sources. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the four types of technological innovations sampled, organisational innovation was found to be highest both in the formal (100%) and informal (100%) sectors, followed by process innovation: 60% in the formal sector and 28% in the informal sector, marketing innovation and diffusion based innovation were implemented by 64% and 4% respectively in the formal sector. There were no R&D activities (intramural or extramural) in both sectors, however, innovation activities occur at moderate levels in the formal sector. This is characterised by acquisition of machinery, equipment, hardware (100%), software (56), training (82%) and acquisition of external knowledge (60%) in the formal sector. In the informal sector, innovation activities were characterised by acquisition of external knowledge (100%), training/learning by experience (100%) and acquisition of tools (68%). The impact of innovation on firm's performance in the formal sector was expressed mainly as increased capacity of production (100%), reduced production cost per unit of labour (88%), compliance with governmental regulatory requirements (72%) and entry on new markets (60%). In the informal sector, the impact of innovation was mainly expressed in improved flexibility of production (70%) and machinery/energy efficiency (70%). The important technological driver of process innovation in the mining sector was acquisition of machinery which accounts for the prevalence of 100% both in the formal and informal sectors. Next to this is training and retraining of technical staff, 74% in both the formal and the informal sector. Other factors influencing organisational innovation are skill of workforce with a prevalence of 80% in both the formal and informal sector. The important technological drivers include educational background of the manager/head of technical department (54%) for organisational innovation and (50%) for process innovation in the formal sector. The study concluded that innovation competence of the firms was mostly organisational changes.

The continued relevance of the systems approach to the study of innovation, especially in develop... more The continued relevance of the systems approach to the study of innovation, especially in developed countries, has been the subject of recent discourses. This paper argues that with respect to developing countries, discussions on innovation systems are yet to be exhausted. Against this background, the paper takes an objective look at the innovation systems approach and suggests an agenda for studying innovation systems in developing countries. The position of the paper is that modifications to the innovation systems approach present viable opportunities for understanding the innovation process in the developing world. Some concrete modifications, and their implications for future research, are proposed.

The paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on innovation sources and innovation systems in l... more The paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on innovation sources and innovation systems in literature. Primary data was collected from mining companies in six states in Nigeria. One hundred and fifty mining companies in the six states-being all companies with mineral title were purposively selected for the study administering a questionnaire per company. However, only one hundred and six questionnaire were completed with accuracy and found useful for analysis. Three models were used to address the study's objectives: For models one and two, binary logistic regression (maximum likelihood method) was used to determine the impact of information sources on innovation outputs (technological and non-technological innovations) while in model three, multi-linear regression (ordinary least square method) was used to determine the impact of innovation output on financial performance in the mining companies.

The study measured the innovation activities, innovation prevalence, intensity of innovation acti... more The study measured the innovation activities, innovation prevalence, intensity of innovation activities and the impact of innovation activities on innovation prevalence on one side also the impact of innovation intensity on the financial performance of the companies in the mining industry in Nigeria. The sample size was 150 purposively selected mining, exploration, quarrying, processing, dredging and construction companies in Nigeria. Engineering theory of innovation was adopted for the study. Primary and secondary data sources were used for the study. It was gathered from the study that product innovation is driven by R&D related innovation activities while process and organisational innovation is driven by non-R&D related innovation activities. A new knowledge advanced in this study is that even though R&D intensity in the industry is calculated to be very low, it is the principal driver of product innovation. On the other hand, intensity of non-R&D related innovation activities was fairly high, it only accounted for process and organisational innovations. Furthermore, it came to bare from the study that R&D-related activities (intramural R&D and extramural R&D) as well as non-R&D-related activities (acquisition of machinery, equipments, hardware or software) are both key determinants of financial performance (turnover) in the mining industry in Nigeria.

The study measured the relationship between human capital, innovation and performance in the mini... more The study measured the relationship between human capital, innovation and performance in the mining industry in Nigeria. The sample size was 150 purposively selected companies. The response rate was 70.6%. Knowledge-capital theory was explored in this study. Primary and secondary data sources were used for the study. Econometrics technique was used to determine the relationship among the variables. From the study, it is observed that all the indicators of human capital in the mining industry are important in determining the outcome of innovations in the industry. It was also observed that all the indicators of human capital are important in determining the productivity in the industry as well. A new knowledge advanced in this study is that there is just a thin line between process innovation and organisational innovation. In conclusion, the study identified a linear relationship between human capital, innovation prevalence and performance in the mining industry in Nigeria.

The study evaluated the business development and transfer of technologies to small manufacturing ... more The study evaluated the business development and transfer of
technologies to small manufacturing companies by research institutes in
Nigeria. The study covered all the industrial research institutions with
headquarters in southwestern Nigeria as well as agricultural research institutes
with crop utilisation departments in the same region. The research instruments
for the study were structured questionnaire technique, interview schedule as
well as secondary data collection. Five of the research institutes indicated the
existence of technology transfer policy in their organisations. All the seven
research institutes surveyed had technology transfer offices. The technology
transfer strategies employed by the research institutes included licensing
agreements, cooperative R&D agreement/contract research, joint ventures,
self/exploitation, spinout/spin-off, training workshops, technical assistance and
consultancy services. The most frequently used technology transfer strategy
was training workshops. In conclusion, it was discovered that not all the
stakeholders were involved in the innovation process as well as R&D transfer.

This paper uses the binary logistic regression to test two hypotheses among manufacturing firms i... more This paper uses the binary logistic regression to test two hypotheses among manufacturing
firms in Nigeria. First, the influence of firms’ innovation activities on the propensity to
implement innovations and second, whether size influences the type of innovation
implemented by firms. Using the data from the Nigerian Innovation Survey 2008, the results
show that intramural R&D influences firms’ likelihood of implementing all the four
innovation types being statistically significant at 0.05 level. In addition, investment in
machinery and equipment specifically increases firms’ likelihood of introducing product
innovation. Similarly, market introduction of innovations impacts on marketing innovation.
The binary regression result however shows that the size of manufacturing firms in Nigeria
does not significantly influence the introduction of any type of innovation.

This paper examined strategic technology alliance among telecommunications service providers in N... more This paper examined strategic technology alliance among
telecommunications service providers in Nigeria and the benefits accrued to
service providers and subscribers from the alliances. This was with a view to
providing appropriate recommendation to improving the services rendered to
subscribers. Primary data were collected from four GSM network operators,
two CDMA network operators and three telecommunications service vendors
in Nigeria. Findings revealed the existence of strategic technology alliances
such as licensing, joint venture, turnkey, venture capital, franchising, merger
and acquisition. Benefits derived from the strategic alliances in decreasing
order were improved network coverage, decrease in call drops, decrease in
signal down time and decrease in tariff of data and voice services. Furthermore,
the allies enjoyed increased turnover when they engaged in strategic technology
alliance. The study concluded that a well-structured strategic technology
alliance relationship among telecommunications firms can bring about better
services for sustainable development in the country.

The study showed that the involvement of scientists in innovation process was rated highest in th... more The study showed that the involvement of scientists in innovation process was rated highest in the idea generation (4.14) and idea screening (4.29) phases; high in R&D (3.86) and fairly high in pilot plant development (2.71) and commercialization (2.43) phase. Their involvement was rated low in business analysis and development (2.14), and test marketing (2.29) phase. The involvement of engineers was rated highest in idea generation (3.28), fairly high in R&D (2.71), pilot plant development (2.57), and idea screening (2.40) phases. However, their involvement was rated low in business analysis and development (2.0), test marketing (2.0), and commercialization (1.28) phases. The involvement of technology marketers in innovation process was generally rated fairly high in R&D (2.7) and business analysis and development (2.6), and low in all the other phases of innovation. However, their involvement at IAR&T, FIIRO, and NIOMR in all the phases was rated very high (3.0-5.0). The involvement of entrepreneurs was generally rated from fairly high to low (2.7-2.3) in all the phases of innovation. The involvement of financial institutions in all the phases of innovation was generally rated low (1. 28-1.71).

This paper uses econometric model to analyse the impact of technological innovation and R&D on fi... more This paper uses econometric model to analyse the impact of technological innovation and R&D on firm performance in the Nigerian service sector. The sector is attracting interest in policy circle because it has become the fastest growing sector globally. The analysis is based on data obtained from the Nigeria's innovation survey, 2008 undertaken among 500 enterprises in the service sector with about 41% response rate. The instrument was guided by the third edition of the Oslo Manual standardised through validation workshops under the NEPAD ASTII initiative. The result shows that technological acquisition, training and in-house R&D positively influence technological innovation while government support and embodied knowledge are insignificant. Also, technology innovation and R&D have positive impact on firms' performance. This paper offers an opportunity to understanding the impact of technology innovation and R&D on performance of service firms in developing country context.

The study was carried out to assess the impact of erosion of technical and vocational education a... more The study was carried out to assess the impact of erosion of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) on technological capability building in Nigeria by commercial motorcycling transportation mode. The study used primary and secondary data sources. The number of respondents sampled was 500. Structured questionnaires were administered on commercial motorcyclists. This was supplemented with field observations and interviews. A total of 500 questionnaires were administered on the respondents with 72% response rate. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study showed that the active population was heavily involved in commercial motorcycling which has no technical value addition to the nation's economy. About 8% of the commercial motorcyclists had at least a University Degree (Masters and Bachelor Degrees), about 54% of them had at least a senior secondary school education, 36% had junior secondary education and below, while about 2% had no formal education. The study also revealed that majority (about 85%) of the commercial motorcyclists were tradesmen or craftsmen before: auto-mechanics (25.88%), carpenters (14.12%), bricklayers (8.24%), painters (7.06%) and panel beaters (5.88%). Of these, more than half had graduated from their chosen trades or crafts, while 15% were civil servants. However, the respondents who are now commercial motorcyclists make at least twice the income they made in their former trade per day, hence the drift. The study concluded that drift from crafts and trade to commercial motorcycling will speedily erode the indigenous technology capacity of Nigeria if there would not be urgent government intervention to reverse the situation.

This study assessed the factors hampering innovation and knowledge sharing in indigenous oil and ... more This study assessed the factors hampering innovation and knowledge sharing in indigenous oil and gas firms in Nigeria. The aim was to provide information that will increase knowledge sharing among the indigenous in the sector and create added value, which is needed to improve the local content within the industry. The study used primary and secondary data sources. One hundred firms were sampled. A structured questionnaire was administered to the firms. This was supplemented with field observations and interviews. A total of 100 questionnaires were administered to heads of production and engineering departments in the firms with a 70% response rate. Secondary data were obtained from published sources. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study found that the challenge of innovation centred on high costs, lack of skilled personnel, especially in their R&D departments and poor economic conditions in the country. However, an estimated 30% of the firms were innovation active in the period 2001 to 2010. The reasons why these firms innovated were to take advantage of new technology, lower production costs and to stake out market position while competing with their foreign counterparts. The study also found that the principal initiators of innovation in the firms included information from the parent firm (for those that operated as subsidiaries), competitors, clients/customers and suppliers. The study concluded by providing policy recommendations that would increase indigenous participation in the industry while stating clearly what roles the industry, government and academia will play to achieve Nigeria's desired local content status.

Mainstream studies on innovation consider innovation processes as necessarily driven by expenditu... more Mainstream studies on innovation consider innovation processes as necessarily driven by expenditures on formal R&D and the input of engineers and scientists with third-level degrees. This bias in the literature has led to the view that micro-and small enterprises (MSEs), which constitute the majority of Africa's enterprise base, are non-innovative. Building on an existing critique largely emerging from developing countries, this study provides evidence that, despite their lack of formal R&D expenditures, MSEs in Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda are in fact active innovators. The paper argues that the mainstream literature fails to capture important dynamics and practices that are central to innovation in MSEs. Arguing that the way work activity is organised is closely linked to learning, capability development and, ultimately, innovation, the paper unpacks the relationships between these three processes with evidence from MSEs in the four African countries. The empirical findings demonstrate that an important basis for the innovativeness of African MSEs is the adaptability of employees and their ability to learn on the job and to make use of their own ideas in solving the problems they face in work.

This study contributes to the growing literature on innovation capability in the informal sector ... more This study contributes to the growing literature on innovation capability in the informal sector in Nigeria. It explores the role of openness as a facilitator for measuring innovation capability, and proposes openness as a metric for the measurement of innovation capability in the informal sector. This new metric was tested using 200 informal information and communication technology (ICT) enterprises at the Otigba hardware cluster, which is located in the Nigerian commercial capital of Lagos and is regarded as a key ICT hub in West Africa. The main research instrument was a set of questionnaires designed to capture the core objective of the research. All 200 questionnaires were retrieved and found suitable for analysis. The questionnaires elicited information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the enterprises, the attributes of the Otigba cluster, the strength of the enterprises, the strength of the cluster, the extent of innovations within the cluster, and the proximity advantages drawn from clustering. Spearman’s correlation and binary logistic regression were used to determine the direction and impact of the various independent variables (determinants of innovation capability) on the dependent variable (the extent of innovation as a proxy for innovation capability). It was found that openness plays a very significant role in access to: information, customers, new domestic markets, tools and technology, suppliers of raw materials, and inputs. However, openness was found to play only a limited role in finished products for the export market. It was also found that much more still needs to be done by the enterprises to build up their internal capabilities, so as to reduce their reliance on external sources of knowledge—notwithstanding the fact that exposure to external capabilities, through cooperation and openness, will remain necessary to complement enterprises’ internal capabilities.

The study mapped innovation activities in the formal and informal mining sector in Nigeria. Data ... more The study mapped innovation activities in the formal and informal mining sector in Nigeria. Data were collected through primary and secondary sources. Primary data were collected through guided questionnaire administration, guided interviews and personal observation. A purposive sampling method was adopted to select firms that are micro, small and medium enterprises. The study covered 100 (50 in the formal sector and 50 in the informal sector) purposively selected companies in southwestern Nigeria. Secondary data were collected from different published sources. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Of the four types of technological innovations sampled, organisational innovation was found to be highest both in the formal (100%) and informal (100%) sectors, followed by process innovation: 60% in the formal sector and 28% in the informal sector, marketing innovation and diffusion based innovation were implemented by 64% and 4% respectively in the formal sector. There were no R&D activities (intramural or extramural) in both sectors, however, innovation activities occur at moderate levels in the formal sector. This is characterised by acquisition of machinery, equipment, hardware (100%), software (56), training (82%) and acquisition of external knowledge (60%) in the formal sector. In the informal sector, innovation activities were characterised by acquisition of external knowledge (100%), training/learning by experience (100%) and acquisition of tools (68%). The impact of innovation on firm's performance in the formal sector was expressed mainly as increased capacity of production (100%), reduced production cost per unit of labour (88%), compliance with governmental regulatory requirements (72%) and entry on new markets (60%). In the informal sector, the impact of innovation was mainly expressed in improved flexibility of production (70%) and machinery/energy efficiency (70%). The important technological driver of process innovation in the mining sector was acquisition of machinery which accounts for the prevalence of 100% both in the formal and informal sectors. Next to this is training and retraining of technical staff, 74% in both the formal and the informal sector. Other factors influencing organisational innovation are skill of workforce with a prevalence of 80% in both the formal and informal sector. The important technological drivers include educational background of the manager/head of technical department (54%) for organisational innovation and (50%) for process innovation in the formal sector. The study concluded that innovation competence of the firms was mostly organisational changes.

The continued relevance of the systems approach to the study of innovation, especially in develop... more The continued relevance of the systems approach to the study of innovation, especially in developed countries, has been the subject of recent discourses. This paper argues that with respect to developing countries, discussions on innovation systems are yet to be exhausted. Against this background, the paper takes an objective look at the innovation systems approach and suggests an agenda for studying innovation systems in developing countries. The position of the paper is that modifications to the innovation systems approach present viable opportunities for understanding the innovation process in the developing world. Some concrete modifications, and their implications for future research, are proposed.

The paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on innovation sources and innovation systems in l... more The paper contributes to the ongoing discussion on innovation sources and innovation systems in literature. Primary data was collected from mining companies in six states in Nigeria. One hundred and fifty mining companies in the six states-being all companies with mineral title were purposively selected for the study administering a questionnaire per company. However, only one hundred and six questionnaire were completed with accuracy and found useful for analysis. Three models were used to address the study's objectives: For models one and two, binary logistic regression (maximum likelihood method) was used to determine the impact of information sources on innovation outputs (technological and non-technological innovations) while in model three, multi-linear regression (ordinary least square method) was used to determine the impact of innovation output on financial performance in the mining companies.

The study measured the innovation activities, innovation prevalence, intensity of innovation acti... more The study measured the innovation activities, innovation prevalence, intensity of innovation activities and the impact of innovation activities on innovation prevalence on one side also the impact of innovation intensity on the financial performance of the companies in the mining industry in Nigeria. The sample size was 150 purposively selected mining, exploration, quarrying, processing, dredging and construction companies in Nigeria. Engineering theory of innovation was adopted for the study. Primary and secondary data sources were used for the study. It was gathered from the study that product innovation is driven by R&D related innovation activities while process and organisational innovation is driven by non-R&D related innovation activities. A new knowledge advanced in this study is that even though R&D intensity in the industry is calculated to be very low, it is the principal driver of product innovation. On the other hand, intensity of non-R&D related innovation activities was fairly high, it only accounted for process and organisational innovations. Furthermore, it came to bare from the study that R&D-related activities (intramural R&D and extramural R&D) as well as non-R&D-related activities (acquisition of machinery, equipments, hardware or software) are both key determinants of financial performance (turnover) in the mining industry in Nigeria.

The study measured the relationship between human capital, innovation and performance in the mini... more The study measured the relationship between human capital, innovation and performance in the mining industry in Nigeria. The sample size was 150 purposively selected companies. The response rate was 70.6%. Knowledge-capital theory was explored in this study. Primary and secondary data sources were used for the study. Econometrics technique was used to determine the relationship among the variables. From the study, it is observed that all the indicators of human capital in the mining industry are important in determining the outcome of innovations in the industry. It was also observed that all the indicators of human capital are important in determining the productivity in the industry as well. A new knowledge advanced in this study is that there is just a thin line between process innovation and organisational innovation. In conclusion, the study identified a linear relationship between human capital, innovation prevalence and performance in the mining industry in Nigeria.

The study evaluated the business development and transfer of technologies to small manufacturing ... more The study evaluated the business development and transfer of
technologies to small manufacturing companies by research institutes in
Nigeria. The study covered all the industrial research institutions with
headquarters in southwestern Nigeria as well as agricultural research institutes
with crop utilisation departments in the same region. The research instruments
for the study were structured questionnaire technique, interview schedule as
well as secondary data collection. Five of the research institutes indicated the
existence of technology transfer policy in their organisations. All the seven
research institutes surveyed had technology transfer offices. The technology
transfer strategies employed by the research institutes included licensing
agreements, cooperative R&D agreement/contract research, joint ventures,
self/exploitation, spinout/spin-off, training workshops, technical assistance and
consultancy services. The most frequently used technology transfer strategy
was training workshops. In conclusion, it was discovered that not all the
stakeholders were involved in the innovation process as well as R&D transfer.

This paper uses the binary logistic regression to test two hypotheses among manufacturing firms i... more This paper uses the binary logistic regression to test two hypotheses among manufacturing
firms in Nigeria. First, the influence of firms’ innovation activities on the propensity to
implement innovations and second, whether size influences the type of innovation
implemented by firms. Using the data from the Nigerian Innovation Survey 2008, the results
show that intramural R&D influences firms’ likelihood of implementing all the four
innovation types being statistically significant at 0.05 level. In addition, investment in
machinery and equipment specifically increases firms’ likelihood of introducing product
innovation. Similarly, market introduction of innovations impacts on marketing innovation.
The binary regression result however shows that the size of manufacturing firms in Nigeria
does not significantly influence the introduction of any type of innovation.

This paper examined strategic technology alliance among telecommunications service providers in N... more This paper examined strategic technology alliance among
telecommunications service providers in Nigeria and the benefits accrued to
service providers and subscribers from the alliances. This was with a view to
providing appropriate recommendation to improving the services rendered to
subscribers. Primary data were collected from four GSM network operators,
two CDMA network operators and three telecommunications service vendors
in Nigeria. Findings revealed the existence of strategic technology alliances
such as licensing, joint venture, turnkey, venture capital, franchising, merger
and acquisition. Benefits derived from the strategic alliances in decreasing
order were improved network coverage, decrease in call drops, decrease in
signal down time and decrease in tariff of data and voice services. Furthermore,
the allies enjoyed increased turnover when they engaged in strategic technology
alliance. The study concluded that a well-structured strategic technology
alliance relationship among telecommunications firms can bring about better
services for sustainable development in the country.

The study showed that the involvement of scientists in innovation process was rated highest in th... more The study showed that the involvement of scientists in innovation process was rated highest in the idea generation (4.14) and idea screening (4.29) phases; high in R&D (3.86) and fairly high in pilot plant development (2.71) and commercialization (2.43) phase. Their involvement was rated low in business analysis and development (2.14), and test marketing (2.29) phase. The involvement of engineers was rated highest in idea generation (3.28), fairly high in R&D (2.71), pilot plant development (2.57), and idea screening (2.40) phases. However, their involvement was rated low in business analysis and development (2.0), test marketing (2.0), and commercialization (1.28) phases. The involvement of technology marketers in innovation process was generally rated fairly high in R&D (2.7) and business analysis and development (2.6), and low in all the other phases of innovation. However, their involvement at IAR&T, FIIRO, and NIOMR in all the phases was rated very high (3.0-5.0). The involvement of entrepreneurs was generally rated from fairly high to low (2.7-2.3) in all the phases of innovation. The involvement of financial institutions in all the phases of innovation was generally rated low (1. 28-1.71).

This paper uses econometric model to analyse the impact of technological innovation and R&D on fi... more This paper uses econometric model to analyse the impact of technological innovation and R&D on firm performance in the Nigerian service sector. The sector is attracting interest in policy circle because it has become the fastest growing sector globally. The analysis is based on data obtained from the Nigeria's innovation survey, 2008 undertaken among 500 enterprises in the service sector with about 41% response rate. The instrument was guided by the third edition of the Oslo Manual standardised through validation workshops under the NEPAD ASTII initiative. The result shows that technological acquisition, training and in-house R&D positively influence technological innovation while government support and embodied knowledge are insignificant. Also, technology innovation and R&D have positive impact on firms' performance. This paper offers an opportunity to understanding the impact of technology innovation and R&D on performance of service firms in developing country context.

The study was carried out to assess the impact of erosion of technical and vocational education a... more The study was carried out to assess the impact of erosion of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) on technological capability building in Nigeria by commercial motorcycling transportation mode. The study used primary and secondary data sources. The number of respondents sampled was 500. Structured questionnaires were administered on commercial motorcyclists. This was supplemented with field observations and interviews. A total of 500 questionnaires were administered on the respondents with 72% response rate. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study showed that the active population was heavily involved in commercial motorcycling which has no technical value addition to the nation's economy. About 8% of the commercial motorcyclists had at least a University Degree (Masters and Bachelor Degrees), about 54% of them had at least a senior secondary school education, 36% had junior secondary education and below, while about 2% had no formal education. The study also revealed that majority (about 85%) of the commercial motorcyclists were tradesmen or craftsmen before: auto-mechanics (25.88%), carpenters (14.12%), bricklayers (8.24%), painters (7.06%) and panel beaters (5.88%). Of these, more than half had graduated from their chosen trades or crafts, while 15% were civil servants. However, the respondents who are now commercial motorcyclists make at least twice the income they made in their former trade per day, hence the drift. The study concluded that drift from crafts and trade to commercial motorcycling will speedily erode the indigenous technology capacity of Nigeria if there would not be urgent government intervention to reverse the situation.

This study assessed the factors hampering innovation and knowledge sharing in indigenous oil and ... more This study assessed the factors hampering innovation and knowledge sharing in indigenous oil and gas firms in Nigeria. The aim was to provide information that will increase knowledge sharing among the indigenous in the sector and create added value, which is needed to improve the local content within the industry. The study used primary and secondary data sources. One hundred firms were sampled. A structured questionnaire was administered to the firms. This was supplemented with field observations and interviews. A total of 100 questionnaires were administered to heads of production and engineering departments in the firms with a 70% response rate. Secondary data were obtained from published sources. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study found that the challenge of innovation centred on high costs, lack of skilled personnel, especially in their R&D departments and poor economic conditions in the country. However, an estimated 30% of the firms were innovation active in the period 2001 to 2010. The reasons why these firms innovated were to take advantage of new technology, lower production costs and to stake out market position while competing with their foreign counterparts. The study also found that the principal initiators of innovation in the firms included information from the parent firm (for those that operated as subsidiaries), competitors, clients/customers and suppliers. The study concluded by providing policy recommendations that would increase indigenous participation in the industry while stating clearly what roles the industry, government and academia will play to achieve Nigeria's desired local content status.