Role of Trade Associations: How Does It Affect Entrepreneurial Framework Conditions in Nigeria’S Transport Industry?

The objective of this paper is to determine the extent to which the role of trade associations  influence the development of entrepreneurial frame work conditions in Nigeria’s transport industry. To do this, survey research method was adopted for the study and questionnaire was used as data collection instrument. A random of one hundred and forty four (144) trade associations in Nigeria’s transport industry were selected for the study out of a population of two hundred and twenty four (244) trade associations  with  eight  hundred  and  seventy three (873) respondents . For completeness, a sample of six hundred and fifty seven (657) respondents from related organizations were included in the study. A total of one thousand, three hundred and seventy seven (1377) copies of questionnaire were administered to the respondents. The data collected were measured in a 5-point Likert scale with a Hypothesized mean of 3.00.  Hypothesis was tested with the aid of two sample Z test at 0.05 level of significance. The data analysis showed that mean scores for the effect of pro-competitive and anti-competitive role of trade associations on the development of entrepreneurial frame work conditions in Nigeria’s transport industry are 1.8796 and 4.5157 respectively. The z-calculated value for differences in the two mean scores was 167.1661 with significance (one tail) probability of < 0.0001which is less than 0.05. Thus the test was significant at 5% level of significance (p < 0.05). Consequently we conclude that the effect of anti-competitive roles is significantly higher than that of precompetitive role of trade associations on the development of entrepreneurial framework conditions in Nigeria’s transport industry. In this light, it was recommended that government measures should aim at simultaneously inhibiting the growth of anti-competitive role while  promoting pro competitive role among the trade associations in Nigerian Transport Industry. Key words: Trade Associations, Nigeria, Transport, Entrepreneurial framework conditions