Ethnicity and Entrepreneurial Inclinations : An Exploratory Study of Tiv of North Central Nigeria

The study assesses the impact of ethnicity on entrepreneurial inclinations of the Tiv ethnic group of Nigeria. 224 final year undergraduate students comprising of 93 Tiv and 131 non-Tiv ethnic groups in the Department of Accounting of the Benue State University were sampled. Survey design was employed with self-rating questionnaire adopted from McClelland, Mansfield, Spencer and Santiago (1987) as the method of data collection. Data was analysed using one-sample t-test of mean differences. The study found that the non-Tiv group is significantly more inclined to entrepreneurship than the Tiv ethnic group. Based on these findings the study recommends that institutions responsible for policy initiatives including churches should inculcate the Tiv with the entrepreneurial spirit and competencies including finance to position them to create and operate viable businesses thereby creating employment and wealth for them and Nigerians as a whole