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BUSINESS AND ITS ENVIRONMENTS:  

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES OPEN TO SMALL-SCALE ENTERPRISES 

DURING POLITICAL TRANSITION PERIODS IN SUB-SAHARA AFRICA. 

 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; 

Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia 
1Department of Political Science, The Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, 

Nigeria, Email: aakwara@yahoo.com. 
2Department of Office Technology Management, The Federal Polytechnic Idah, 

Kogi State, Nigeria3 Department of Political Science, The Federal University 

Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria, 
4Odekina, Felicia, Department of Business Administration and Management,  

The Federal Polytechnic, Idah, Kogi State, Nigeria 

 
Abstract 

The small-scale business enterprise operates in the same environment with its medium and large 

scale counterparts. Due to its size, the small-scale business enterprise can adapt easily to 

changing environments and circumstances faster than the other forms of businesses. This paper 

examines the various political environments under which the small-scale business enterprise 

operates, and the business opportunities open to it during political transition periods in sub-

Sahara Africa. The paper finds out that the democratic capitalist environment offers the small-

scale enterprises the best opportunity to thrive and identifies several business opportunities open 

to them during political and regime transition periods in sub-sahara Africa. The paper 

recommends that the small-scale enterprise should mix business with politics in order to exploit 

these business opportunities open to it in its area of operation during political transition periods 

in the region. 

 

Keywords: small-scale enterprise; environment; ideology; political transition, regime transition; 

role perception; role expectation. 

 

INTRODUCTION 

Most countries in sub-Sahara Africa 

became independent from colonial rule 

in the 1960s. Due to the inability of the 

civilians to rule well, and or, agree to 

adhere to peaceful means of transiting 

from one civil regime to the other, the 

military often intervene in the political 

administration of most of the countries 

in the region, the cases of Mali and 

Guinea-Bissau being the most recent. 

Some of the countries within the sub-

region have passed through several 

military regimes and several protracted 

transitions to civil rule and through civil 

wars that devastated their nations before 

finally transiting to civil democracies. 

Within the transition periods, lots of 

business opportunities exist for the 

small-scale enterprises to exploit in 

order to contribute to the political and 

economic development of the region 

because the success or failure of any 

 

mailto:aakwara@yahoo.com


 

 

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Business and its Environments: Business Opportunities Open to Small-Scale Enterprises during Political 

Transition Periods in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia  

business unit largely depends on its 

political environment. 

 

The political environment of a country 

shapes and influences investment 

patterns in the country. Politically stable 

countries are in better positions to have 

stable economies and to attract foreign 

investments faster than politically 

unstable nations. And the political 

environment of the country has an 

impact on the global economy. When in 

1976, the military administration of 

General Olusegun Obasanjo 

promulgated the Indigenisation Decree 

that led to the nationalisation of foreign 

businesses in Nigeria, foreign investors 

Saw Nigeria as an unsafe area for 

investment. This affected the economic 

development of the country. 

Furthermore, the prices of export 

commodities as oil, copper, gold, coffee, 

and exchange rates for local currencies 

oscillate with global political events 

because businesses are influenced by 

their political environments. 

 

In Nigeria prior to the 1993 general 

elections, there were rumours of “Uncle 

Abiola’s” rice, zinc, milk, etc. And this 

led to a downward trend of prices of 

commodities in the country then. The 

Naira appreciated against the Dollar and 

other major currencies then. But with the 

annulments of the June 12, 1993 election 

results in Nigeria, market prices changed 

overnight. These show that the political 

environment in a country determines the 

level of economic activities in the 

country and internationally. Therefore, 

the performance of any business unit is a 

function of the political environments 

under which the business enterprises 

operates. 

 

Statement of the Problem 

Various sizes of business units exist in 

the country, and they are categorised as 

either small, medium, or large scale 

businesses. They all operate under the 

same environments and are faced with 

almost the same opportunities, problems 

and prospects depending on the industry 

the firms or enterprises find themselves. 

It, therefore, becomes very pertinent to 

investigate or examine what constitutes 

a small-scale business enterprise; the 

nature of the environments under which 

it operates; and what business 

opportunities are open to the small-scale 

business enterprises in sub-Sahara 

Africa especially during political 

transition periods; and what the 

enterprises should do to exploit these 

business opportunities in the various 

countries within the sub-region. 

 

What is a Small Scale Business 

Enterprise? 

A small-scale business enterprise is a 

privately owned and operated business 

with a small capital base and relatively 

small number of employees. There are as 

many definitions of small- scale 

business enterprise as there are writers 

on business organisations. In the West 

African subregion, there is no generally 

agreed upon definition of what 

constitutes a small-scale enterprise. In 

Nigeria for instance, the Central Bank of 

Nigeria (1988) defines it as an enterprise 

having an annual turn-over not 



 

 

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exceeding N500,000, and the Federal 

Government of Nigeria in its 1990 

Budget defined it in a similar tone for the 

purpose of granting of loans to business 

enterprises; and the merchant banks in 

Nigeria saw it in terms of capital base - 

those enterprises with capital investment 

not exceeding two million Naira 

(N2,000,000) excluding cost of land or 

enterprises with a capital base not 

exceeding five million Naira 

(N5,000,000); and the National 

Economic Reconstruction Fund 

(NERFUND) in Nigeria sees it as one 

whose capital base does not exceed ten 

million Naira (10,000,000). These 

definitions focus more on the capital 

base of an organization to categorise it 

as small-scale; medium scale or large 

scale organisation. Some other 

definition of a small scale enterprise 

would look at the staff strength of the 

organisation as not being above fifty 

(50). 

 

Within the countries of sub-Sahara 

Africa, there is no generally agreed upon 

definition of small-scale enterprise. A 

small-scale enterprise is generally seen 

in terms of the definition given above - a 

privately owned and operated business 

enterprise with a small capital base and 

relatively small number of employees. 

However, the actions of the Ghanian 

Government against Nigerian small-

scale entrepreneurs in Ghana between 

2007 and 2012 seem to have added 

another dimension to the definition. To 

the Ghanaians, a small scale enterprise is 

“a privately owned business operated by 

the nationals of a country, whose capital 

base and number of employees is 

relatively small. This view was adopted 

as the Ghanian Government has banned 

aliens in that country especially 

Nigerians from engaging in a business 

venture whose capital base is less than 

$600,000. 

 

To understand what the small-scale 

enterprise is, we must take into 

consideration certain facts that make the 

definition problematic: whatever 

definition of a small-scale enterprise we 

take, if it fails to take into consideration 

those sets of businessmen and women 

whose businesses are unregistered as 

required by the laws of the country; if it 

fails to take into consideration those men 

and women whose incomes are 

unquantifiable like the vulcaniser at the 

street corner; or the groundnut seller at 

the campus gate; or hawkers of goods 

along our major highways, such 

definition is incomplete. 

 

There are still some other sets of 

Africans whose annual net incomes or 

profits from their businesses are below 

the taxable income as stipulated by the 

tax law of their countries. Such persons 

are in business but what sizes of 

businesses do they operate? There are 

still those in business whose capital and 

annual net profits are below their 

country’s gross national product (GNP) 

for each year, how do we categorise their 

businesses? There is also the need to 

know if small scale businesses need to 

be quoted in any of their nations’ stock 

exchanges for trading purposes or not. 

These make the definition of small scale 



 

 

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Business and its Environments: Business Opportunities Open to Small-Scale Enterprises during Political 

Transition Periods in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia  

enterprise problematic. 

 

For the purpose of this paper, a business 

qualifies as a small scale enterprise if it 

meets the following conditions: 

 

1)  The firm is independently owned 

and managed. 

2) Its geographical area of operation is 

unlimited; 

3) Its working capital is relatively small 

(may be below the nation’s gross 

national product for any particular 

year) 

4)  It is either registered or unregistered 

under the laws of their countries of 

operation 

5) Its stocks are not quoted for trading 

in any of the nation’s stock 

exchanges; 

6) And its annual profit may or may not 

be within the taxable income level as 

    stipulated by the tax policy for the 

year. 
 

Any definition that fails to take these 

factors into consideration is faulty. 

Governmental bodies and agencies may 

have their definitions and qualifications 

of a small scale enterprise for the smooth 

running of the polity and the economy. 

We can, therefore, see a small-scale 

business as a privately owned and 

operated business characterised by small 

capital base and a small number of 

employees and low turnover. 
 

What is an Environment? 

An environment has been defined by 

Mussleman and Hughes (1970) as the 

total of all external factors that influence 

an individual or a community. Our 

environment is composed of our 

surroundings, issues and events that 

affect us. These issues, events and 

surroundings, are always changing. 

Every business entity operates within 

four distinct environments, and these are 

the physical; the social; the economic; 

and the legal/political environments 

(Mussleman and Hughes,1970). 

 

The physical environment is composed 

of the natural resources that are 

popularly referred to as land in 

economics. It consists of all God given 

resources available in a country that 

could be utilized in the production of 

goods and services. The economic 

environment is similar to the four 

fundamental questions that guide the 

production of goods and services in the 

country - what goods are to be produced; 

in what a quantity are they to be 

produced; for whom are they to be 

produced; and how are they to be 

produced. The essence of these 

questions is for the optimal utilisation of 

available scarce resources in the country 

as the resources have alternative uses. 

The economic environment, therefore, is 

the sum total of the economic system in 

operation in the country. 

 

The social environment is composed of 

the attitudes and feelings of the 

individuals in the society towards 

business. It deals with the social needs 

and demands of the people on the 

business units in terms of their 

wellbeing. It further embraces what 

Keith Davis (1977) has referred to as 



 

 

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“role perception” and “role 

expectation”. While role expectation 

involves a pattern of action expected of 

a person or a group (including business 

units) in activities involving others; role 

perception refers to how an individual or 

group (including business units) thinks, 

it is supposed to act in a given situation 

when interacting with others. 

 

The political/legal environment involves 

the rules and regulations within which 

the business unit is supposed to conduct 

its affairs. The laws that regulate 

business conduct and the behaviour of 

people in any given society; the political 

and economic philosophies of the nation 

and the operation of the various regimes 

in the country. These go a long way to 

determine and influence the conduct of 

business activities. This particular 

environment determines the pattern of 

investment in the country by the citizens 

and aliens alike. When a polity is stable, 

and its laws have international 

acceptability, and are conducive to 

foreign investments, business activities 

are bound to flourish in such a country. 

The interaction between the business 

units and these environments 

enumerated above shape and determine 

the growth and profitability of any 

business venture on the one hand and the 

growth and development of the society 

on the other hand. The political 

environment conditions all the other 

environments. We can only conserve the 

physical environment but cannot 

increase it. The enabling laws on which 

the business units must operate are 

dependent on the political system of the 

country - the political ideologies and 

philosophies that guide the country. 

Ideology here means the guiding 

principles for the conduct of political 

and economic lives in a country. Many 

scholars have written on the concept 

ideology”. (Cohen,1982; Easton,1965; 

Benewick et. al.1973; Miliband,1974; 

Christenson et. al. 1972; and Rodeeet. 

Al. 1983) 

 

Christenson et al. (1972) see it as a 

systematic pattern of political thought 

that provides a cognitive structure for 

individual and collective action and 

judgement in a society. And Rodee et al 

(1983) see it as logically related ideas 

that identify the principles that lend 

legitimacy to political institutions and 

behaviour. These guiding principles not 

only regulate political actions and 

behaviour but also regulate economic 

activities. These principles are set by the 

members of the society as legitimate 

rules for the acquisition, disposal and 

inheritance of property in the society. 

Since political and economic activities 

are interwoven in any given society, 

political actions are often explained 

through economic relations, and the 

economy is better understood only when 

the superstructures (laws) of the state are 

understood. 

 

The ideologies are further classified as 

either of the” left”, “center”, or, of the 

“right”. The terms left; center and right 

originated in France in the 17th century 

as political concepts when at the 

meetings of the Estate-General, the 

nobility took their seats at the right hand 



 

 

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Transition Periods in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia  

side of the king and the Third-Estate 

took their seats on the left hand side of 

the king. This seating arrangement later 

progressed into the French Assembly 

where the deputies sat in a semi-circular 

starting from the most radical deputy 

sitting, then the egalitarian on the left; to 

the most reactionary and aristocratic on 

the extreme right. Thus we have ‘right 

wing” and “left wing” ideologies. In 

between, the left and the right is the 

center. 

 

The “right wings” are those who want 

change but in the backward direction, to 

the previous state of affairs (status-quo 

ante) may be because they are gradually 

losing their power and economic 

positions in the society. They are also 

called the reactionaries. And the “left 

wings” are those who want change to a 

new state of affairs, and they are known 

as the progressives while those of the 

center are in support of the status-quo or 

present state of affairs may be because 

they are being favoured by the present 

state of affairs, or are afraid of losing 

their privileges and positions in the 

event of any change in the status-quo. 

They are called conservatives. 

 

These ideologies of left, right and center 

have their economic interpretations too. 

In the 19th century, the dominance of 

capitalism as a mode of production and 

its support by the wealthy groups in the 

society who had much to gain by 

maintaining it became associated with 

the “right wing”. The existing order had 

to be preserved by the capitalists either 

by being in alliance with the rulers or by 

controlling the machinery of 

government. Its supporters were the 

reactionary and conservative ideologies 

and capitalists. 

 

The “left wing” are those who espouse 

radical departure from existing order to 

an entirely new order. They espouse 

socialist ideals of state intervention in 

the economic life of the society through 

the public ownership and control of the 

means of production and distribution of 

goods and services in the interest of all 

rather than a few. The public ownership 

would further facilitate a fair distribution 

of the wealth of the society and all 

persons would have equal opportunity of 

making the most of their special 

abilities. The socialist society thus 

established from the views of Karl Marx 

would develop progressively to a 

communist state. The various 

ideologies, their characteristics and 

political environments provided to the 

business enterprise are as shown on table 

I: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

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Table 1: Political Ideologies and their Corresponding Environments to the Business 

Enterprises in a Polity. 

Characteristics of 

Business Entity 

Democratic capitalism Socialism Communism 

Ownership of means of 

production 

There is private ownership 

of production resources 

which is protected by law 

There is public 

ownership of 

basic industries 

and some elements 

of private 

ownership of 

smaller production 

facilities 

Virtually all agricultural 

and industrial production 

facilities are owned by 

the state. 

Degree of central control Products and pricing goals 

are established by private 

producers and consumers in 

a competitive market 

through demand and supply 

forces 

Products and 

pricing goals are 

established by the 

government and 

personal freedom 

exists to any 

occupation 

production and 

consumption 

within this 

governmental 

framework 

Products and pricing 

goals are established by 

the government as well 

as the resource 

proportions for 

production, distribution 

and consumption of 

goods and services Pervasiveness of 

managerial decision 

making 

Private managerial 

initiatives are supported by 

government to promote 

private enterprises 

Managers of firms 

must obey 

the central control 

plans in making 

business decisions 

Managers are selected by 

the 

state through political 

party, are highly 

bureaucratised and 

decisions are imposed 

through state 

administrative hierarchy 

Occupational choices Individuals are free to 

choose and bargain for jobs, 

factors of production and 

business locations 

Individuals may 

own small 

enterprises and 

resources under 

the state controlled 

economy 

State owns all business 

enterprises and is the 

only employer 

Incentives Incentives are monetary and 

social in the forms of profits, 

prestige and self-control 

Each contributes 

to the economy 

according to his 

ability and 

receives according 

to his needs 

There are nationalistic 

appeals through peer 

pressure to conformity; 

public recognition; 

threats of punishments 

for nonconformity to 

rules and work standards 

 
Source: Musselman and Hughes (1977) p.42 
 

From the Table 1. Above, it is clear that 

the most conducive political 

environment for business activities is 

democratic capitalism (free-market 

democracy) because it allows and grants 

the individuals the right to own property. 

Every private enterprise is built on the 

idea of private property; that is, on a 



 

 

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Business and its Environments: Business Opportunities Open to Small-Scale Enterprises during Political 

Transition Periods in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia  

system under which individuals are free 

to supply their own capital and operate 

their own businesses be they small-

scale, medium-scale or large-scale 

enterprises. It also allows private 

enterprises to be profit oriented. That is; 

earning profit is a necessary condition 

for the survival of any business 

enterprise as the absence of profit would 

imply business failure. 

 

Democratic capitalism gives the 

individual the opportunity to compete 

with others in the economic sphere, with 

competition being seen as “the practise 

of trying to get something that is being 

sought by others under similar 

circumstances at the same time” 

(Musselman and Hughes,1977). Finally, 

democratic capitalism allows the 

individual the freedom of choice and 

contract. an individual under the system 

decides whether to be an entrepreneur or 

an employee in another business. This 

freedom of choice is the hallmark of all 

free market democracies because all 

other things depend on it. The individual 

also has the right to exchange goods and 

services on terms that are acceptable to 

him and is protected by law. The 

economic and political freedoms, civil 

liberties and rights are so interwoven 

that capitalism is equal to and identical 

with democracy. 

 

Democratic Development and the 

Small Scale Enterprise 

A host of scholars have written on the 

democratic theory (Downs,1957; 

Popper, 1950; Christenson et.al. 1972; 

Leeds, 1978; Appadorai, 1975; 

Cassinelli, 1961; Schumpeter, 1950; 

Lipset 1960; 1983; Ollawa, 1983). A 

society is democratic if it upholds the 

political equality of all persons in the 

society; if it guarantees limited 

government involvement in the lives of 

the people; if it guarantees free 

enterprise, check on the abuse of power 

by those in authority through the 

separation of power and the rule of law; 

and if it guarantees the adoption of 

civilised methods in the struggle for 

state power and peaceful succession of 

national leaders. As Popper (1963) 

observed, “democracy is not 

emphatically a rule of the people 

because it is the government that rules. 

But the rule of law that postulates the 

bloodless election and dismissal of the 

government or a political office holder 

by a majority vote. If the majority has 

mistakenly elected a dictatorship into 

power, democracy also implies that the 

people should have the ability to remove 

such government through the same 

process as it had installed it into power” 

This does not involve what Rodee 

(1983) has called “dictated plebiscite” - 

an election procedure employed by 

undemocratic regimes to coerce the 

electorate into expressing approval of a 

measure or candidate considered 

necessary by a regime. 

 

From Downs’ (1957) point of view, a 

political system is democratic if it is 

“characterised by periodic elections, 

adult vote and suffrage, one-man-one-

vote, parties contesting elections, 

majority government, and rationally 

behaving political structures and 



 

 

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institutions” A nation that grants its 

citizens political liberties is democratic. 

Political liberty in this context would 

involve equal rights of all normal adults 

to vote and to stand as candidates for 

election; equal eligibility for executive 

and judicial offices provided the 

essential qualifications for the 

performance of these duties are met; 

freedom of speech, publication and 

association (Appadorai, 1983). In a 

pluralist society, democracy would 

further imply that no one ethnic group 

should be strong enough as to dominate 

the political process of the country. This 

can be done through separation of 

powers and check and balances; local 

self-government; wide distribution of 

resources among the citizens; a 

distinction between the duties and roles 

of the government, individuals and 

groups in the society. 

 

Democracy would also involve the 

recognition of the rights of the 

minorities; organised opposition by the 

minorities to make government by 

dialogue possible; and the cultivation of 

the spirit of tolerance. It would also 

involve the operation of an open society 

for free communication of information 

and ideas by the people; a society where 

people are free to enter and leave the 

country without undue restrictions; and 

freedom to emigrate if possible. The 

political processes of the sub-Sahara 

nations would be democratic if the 

democratic values enumerated above are 

prevalent and upheld by the 

governments of the countries. 

 

The democratization process in the sub-

Sahara Africa should not only involve 

the institutionalization of rationally 

behaving political structures and 

processes conducive to the 

establishment of a democratic polity, but 

also a reform of the economy, giving it a 

free-market orientation that is 

characteristic of a true democracy. The 

economy can be given a free-market 

orientation by revisiting the privatisation 

and commercialization of government 

owned parastatals that were improperly 

done as the nations are yet to feel the 

impact of the exercises. 

 

Political transition implies moving from 

one ideological orientation to the other, 

especially from the socialist and 

communist ideologies to a democratic 

ideology. and the transition is 

consolidated when a democratic regime 

transits from one government to another 

peacefully over a long period of time 

(regime transition). Because each 

ideological orientation has its own 

characteristics, opportunities, privileges 

and business environments, a Russian 

businessman Anis Mukhametshin 

(1995) during the democratisation 

process in Russia said “little by little, the 

authorities are starting to realise that it is 

us the entrepreneurs who are going to 

help Russia most” 

 

Political Transition and the Small-

scale Enterprise 

During each transition period in the 

region, leaders of the political groups are 

busy working out strategies that would 

enable them meet the guidelines for the 



 

 

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Business and its Environments: Business Opportunities Open to Small-Scale Enterprises during Political 

Transition Periods in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia  

formation and registration of political 

parties. Because of the stringent 

conditions attached to the formation and 

registration of political parties, and 

ethnoreligious diversities of the 

countries, it becomes imperative that the 

services of business enterprises would 

be 

required for the parties to be successful. 

 

In 1986, General Ibrahim Babangida 

released a transition to civil rule agenda 

for Nigeria under which thirteen 

political associations applied for 

registration as political parties. The 

political associations were refused 

registration and were accused of 

‘factionalism; falsification of claims; 

disregard to the registration guidelines; 

and frivolous spending” by General 

Babangida’s military regime. In 1989, a 

new guideline that allowed four weeks 

to the political associations to register 

with the National Electoral Commission 

of Nigeria (NECON) stipulated new 

conditionalities for the associations to 

register as political parties. The 

conditionalities included: registration 

fee of N500,000 per party as opposed to 

the initial fee of N50,000 in 1986; a 

membership strength of 480,000 as 

opposed to 40,000 in 1986; and 15,000 

members in the Federal Capital Territory 

of Abuja. 

 

In the new guideline, each political 

association was to furnish NECON with 

the names, addresses and photographs of 

their members at all levels of 

governance to facilitate verification. 

And in the new guidelines, the amount 

of donation from an individual to the 

political association was limited to 

N100,000 whereas, in 1986, there was 

no limit to amounts to be donated. 

Furthermore, the political associations 

were barred from receiving external 

grants from whatever sources for 

political purposes or any other activity 

relating to the association. 

 

The political associations were also 

barred from having youths and women’s 

wings, the use of thugs and para-military 

outfits. Civil servants, traditional rulers 

and members of the armed forces were 

also barred from participating in politics. 

Above all, political associations seeking 

registration as political parties must 

show evidence of national outlook - 

having members across all ethnic 

nationalities in the country. With the 

stipulation on membership, it became 

obvious that only men and women in 

business can become members of the 

new political parties. And for the amount 

required for the registration, only 

businessmen and women can afford to 

contribute the amount within so short a 

period. This paved the way for politics 

to become a big business in Nigeria. 

 

The conditionalities for transition to 

civil rule did not go down well with the 

citizens as the government and the 

electoral body came under heavy 

criticism from the public. The measures 

people said were too stringent for 

implementation, and that the time limit 

for registration was too short for 

prospective political associations to 

comply with the guidelines. This 



 

 

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argument notwithstanding, any serious 

political association that wished to beat 

the deadline would have sought for the 

services of small-scale business 

enterprises, but none did. The thirteen 

political associations that applied for 

registration failed to meet the guidelines 

and were disqualified and accused of 

factionalism, falsification of claims, 

disregard to the registration guidelines 

and frivolous spending. The military 

administration of General Ibrahim 

Babangida, therefore, formed and 

funded two political parties for the 

nation - the National Republican 

Convention (NRC) and the Social 

Democratic Party (SDP) for anyone that 

wanted to go into partisan politics to join 

either of the parties. 

 

Business Opportunities open to the 

Small-Scale Enterprises in the 

Political Transition Periods 

There is a great deal of business 

opportunities for the small-scale 

enterprises in the following areas: 

consultancy, lobbying, catering, free-

lancing and public relations; production 

and supplies of party consumables, and 

transportation. 

 

Consultancy services in: 

1. Organization and management of 

party offices 

2. Membership drive 

3. Fund-raising  

4. Organization and management of 

political campaign 

5. Organization and management of 

political congresses 

6. Supply of office staff Lobbying 

outfits 

1. Lobbying for party mergers 

2. Lobbying for compromises in 

candidates’ nomination 

3. Lobbying for reconciliation of 

factions within the party 

4. Lobbying for negotiations within 

and outside the party 

 

Agents of party machines Catering 

services 
1. Catering services during party 

meetings 

2. Catering services during party 

campaigns 

3. Catering services during party 

congresses 

4. Catering services during elections 

for party agents Free 

 

Lancing and Public Relations 

1. Speech writing 

2. Script writing (news analysis, 

situation reports, etc.) 

3. Propaganda and shadow debates 

4. Photographs for members 

5. Photo journalism 

6. Posters and stickers production 

7. Bill-boards and outdoor advertising 

8. Advert placement on print and 

electronic media 

9. Video coverage of campaigns and 

elections 

10. Biographies of members and 

candidates 

11. Image making for candidates 

 

Public opinion research Production 

and supplies of party consumables 

1. Party emblems 



 

 

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Business and its Environments: Business Opportunities Open to Small-Scale Enterprises during Political 

Transition Periods in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia  

2. Letter heads, envelopes and 

stationery 

3. Supply of office equipment 

4. Servicing of equipments (including 

vehicles and office equipment) 

5. Production of almanacs 

6. Production of party identity cards 

7. Production of posters and handbills 

8. Production of gift items. (party 

vests, blazers, caps, bags, calendars, 

pens, pencils  and exercise 

books bearing party 

emblems/candidate’s photographs 

for distribution  to pupils and 

students in schools). 

9. Automobiles and motor-bikes 

supplies and maintenance 

10. Sign writings on party property 

 

This in effect means that the small-scale 

enterprises have a lot to do before and 

during each transition period. The 

management consultancy firms and 

public relations firms for instance could 

help the parties in the membership drive. 

By combining the scalar principle and 

the functional principles in management 

to penetrate all nooks and corners of the 

society recruiting members for the 

parties. 

 

They also could get involved in opinion 

poll, forecasting and opinion analysis. 

The gathering and analysis of scientific 

data are essential in virtually all 

elections no matter their accuracies or 

inaccuracies. This helps the politicians 

to know what the people want and how 

the people feel about a candidate, party, 

or issue. (Lemann,1980; Bonafede, 

1981) 

 

The small-scale enterprises can help the 

parties raise the necessary funds for their 

operations. They could do this by direct 

solicitation from targeted members of 

the public who due to their business 

interests would wish to remain 

anonymous or politically neutral. They 

could also sell party membership cards, 

items with party emblems; organise fund 

raising campaigns in favour of honest 

candidates that lack the financial base to 

engage actively in politics. They could 

also raise funds for the parties through 

the organisation of musical shows, 

football matches, dinners, etc. 

 

The small-scale enterprises could get 

involved in campaign management for 

parties and candidates. This 

phenomenon has become the most 

interesting aspect of national politics in 

Europe and America. The old method of 

candidate selection by an “inner caucus” 

of the party or the party machine has 

been done away with, and candidates are 

now groomed for various political 

offices by professional campaign 

managers and consultants. This 

phenomenon is known as “the new 

politics”. 

 

Politics is no longer ‘just a business”, 

but a big business in terms of the amount 

of money being spent on it by 

prospective candidates and interest 

groups. With politics turning into a big 

business, electioneering campaign 

outfits have dominated the advertising 



 

 

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and marketing industries. Have you ever 

wondered why there are many privately 

owned newspapers, weekly magazines, 

radio and television houses across the 

region today? Politics and money. 

Professional political campaign 

managers are image makers for the 

politicians and political parties. During 

the 1983 general elections in Nigeria, a 

particular campaign sticker produced for 

the late Dr. Sam Mbakwe of the then 

Imo State was reputed to have sold more 

than five million pieces in the state. The 

sticker simply read “MBAKWE MAKES 

THINGS HAPPEN”. 

 

Mixing Business with Politics 

Most of the business opportunities 

enumerated in this paper cannot be 

available to the small scale enterprises 

unless their owners are prepared to 

participate actively in politics. If the 

business unit as an entity cannot, their 

operators can. Contracts for these jobs 

are only given out to faithful party 

members and sympathisers. Where the 

business units are prepared to be 

partisan, they could: 

 

1. Form business pressure groups 

2. Form political parties 

3. Make financial and material 

contributions to parties and 

candidates where the  law 

permits. 

4. Sponsor political discussion 

programmes on the radio and 

television for various  parties 

and candidates 

Campaign against any candidate of 

dubious character irrespective of his or 

her party affiliation.  

 

Benefits of Mixing Business with 

Politics 

Through the patronage system, 

businessmen get appointments into key 

government positions where they are 

expected to use their vast knowledge in 

business in solving some of the 

administrative problems of the 

government. This alternation between 

political career and business career leads 

to stability and continuity in government 

and administration. 

 

Businessmen that are active in partisan 

politics get contracts from the parties 

when the parties get into power. Owners 

and managers of enterprises would 

benefit by applying their political 

experiences to business transactions and 

use their political experiences in 

practical business of the organisation. 

Political considerations are essential in 

helping the managers or supervisors 

keep on top of situations in their 

enterprises and control conflicts for 

constructive purposes. 

 

Politics within an enterprise implies 

maintaining a balance of power, saving 

face, horse trading, fence mending and 

making maneuvers in dynamic 

situations. Organisational politics kept 

under the control of the manager will 

help him accomplish the organisational 

goals. If he lacks sufficient power, he 

will not be able to take effective 

decisions. Even union officials with 



 

 

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Business and its Environments: Business Opportunities Open to Small-Scale Enterprises during Political 

Transition Periods in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Akwara, Azalahu Francis; Akwara, Ngozi Francis; Udaw, Joseph; Odekina, Felicia  

good knowledge of organisational 

politics would be able to get their ways. 

Politics exists in the business enterprise 

and the managers and workers need to be 

aware of the political aspects of their 

environments. 

 

Summary and Conclusion 

As noted earlier, free market economy 

with its enabling democratic political 

practices is the only political 

environment that allows for free 

competition among the people. The 

competition takes place for the purpose 

of power and prestige among 

participants, security, economic growth 

and gains. The competition is not 

aimless but purposeful because the 

individuals and their businesses would 

want to shape the environment and 

circumstances that affect their lives and 

well-being. Though the political parties 

are the major contestants for state power, 

without the business units aiding them 

one way or the other, the struggles and 

contests may be without positive results. 

 

As Appadorai (1977) rightly observed, 

social inequalities as economic 

resources and natural endowments affect 

the extent to which individuals exercise 

their political rights in almost all 

democratic nations. This has 

necessitated the involvement of small-

scale enterprises in national politics to 

help bridge the social inequalities. Since 

conflict, competition, compromise and 

cooperation are inevitable orders of 

social life, and wealth, skills, and 

individual capabilities are unevenly 

distributed within any human population 

making conflicts and competition 

fiercer, the fortunes of both individuals 

and groups must oscillate with variations 

in the political arena (Appadorai, 1977). 

The small scale business enterprises 

have great opportunities open to them 

through the political process. They only 

need to legitimately explore these 

opportunities during and after 

transitions, but these have to be done 

within the ambit of the law. 

 

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