Language, Entrepreneurship And Economic Development In The 21st Century: An Assessment Of The Role Of Indigenous Languages In Promoting Small And Medium Enterprises In Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the role of indigenous languages in promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and economic development in Benue State, Nigeria, in the 21st century. The study was anchored on Social Capital Theory and adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The population comprised owners and managers of SMEs in six selected Local Government Areas across the three senatorial zones of Benue State. A sample of 384 respondents was determined using Cochran’s formula, while 370 valid copies of the questionnaire were retrieved, representing a 96.4% response rate. Data were collected using the Indigenous Language, Entrepreneurship and SME Development Questionnaire (ILESMDQ) and analysed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. The findings revealed that indigenous languages played an important role in facilitating business communication, entrepreneurial knowledge transfer and customer relationships, with a grand mean of 4.21. Respondents agreed that indigenous languages improved customer understanding and comfort, strengthened trust and relationships, reduced misunderstanding and facilitated the transfer of practical entrepreneurial knowledge. The findings further showed that indigenous-language use had a substantial influence on marketing, networking and SME promotion, with a grand mean of 4.23. Indigenous-language communication was perceived to improve the understanding of promotional messages, strengthen community visibility, facilitate customer referrals and support word-of-mouth promotion. The study concluded that indigenous languages constitute valuable social and cultural resources that can support entrepreneurship and SME development in Benue State. It recommended greater integration of indigenous languages into entrepreneurship education, local marketing, business training and digital promotional activities.