Global Journal of Management and Business Research, A: Administration and Management, Volume 22 Issue 7

or eradicate uncertainties and entrance barricades (Kalwani & Narayandas, 2013). Strategic entrepreneurship alliances and networks have become great tools that firms and industries use to acquire the human and material resources needed to compete effectively and efficiently in today's dynamic business world (Hakansson, 2014). In addition, Awotide, Abdoulaye, Alene, and Manyoung (2015), claimed that strategic alliances and strategic networks especially now that social media drives the economy, can help firms not only source but develop the required resources, capabilities, and competencies needed for the smooth running of an organization. Strategic networking and collaboration are pivotal for entrepreneurial firms, partially because of the role resources play in the development and sustainability of a firm to compete effectively against other rival firms (Bouka, 2015). Sustainable improvement touches on the prominence of intergenerational justice and equity, ensured by preserving capitals that investors can fall back on in the future. In this context, sustainable business growth primarily entails the sustainability of enterprises involved in the diverse sphere of ventures and the absence of strategic entrepreneurship to ensure access and efficient utilization of capital and needed resources to develop local capacity utilization through firm operations and inter-generational equality, which is the recognition of sustainability on a long-term scale to meet of future demands (Stoddart, 2011). Emas (2015) explains that sustainable and supportable business growth is anchored on weak and strong sustainability concepts; Strong sustainability, on one side, acknowledges the special qualities of natural resources (material, human capital, and human relations) that cannot be replaced by manufactured capital, in contrast to weak sustainability, which explains that only capital matters and that manufactured capital is an adequate replacement for natural capitals (Stoddart, 2011). Muritala, Awolaja, and Bako (2012) opined that the barriers to sustainable business growth in Nigeria, which have hindered many businesses are not just limited to access to long-term bankrolling and lack of entrepreneurial capacity; they also have the combined effects of adequate market access, low information flow, low levels of business literacy on the part of entrepreneurs and poor prior industry knowledge before investing, poor links between various systems of the sector, low knowledge of operating capacities concerning business skills, attitudes, and a lack of required infrastructure. In addition, the government of Nigeria has also focused on creating small enterprises across a variety of economic sectors due to the mono- economy (oil-dependent) character of the nation to diversify the economy (Akewushola, Tijani, & Adeleke, 2018). In Nigeria, small business owners have suffered greatly as there has been a ceaseless, constant, and consistent absence of basic business infrastructure and vital public services to aid the production process and timely distribution of raw materials and finished goods; inadequate power supply, high cost of acquiring appropriate technology and machinery, poor and incompetent management procedures, which have resulted to the inability of business operators in this part of the word to engage the services of professionals; use of outdated instruments and methods of production is pronounced due to the owner's inability to access new technology; coupled with weak industry linkages and poor access to the global market, which are all factors working against a sustained business growth (Anoke, Osita, Eze, & Muogbo, 2021). Lastly, strategic entrepreneurship alliance practices are conspicuously missing in the system, resulting in swift and steady weakening in strategic and creative thinking processes, hindering appropriate and timely decision making by entrepreneurs, which is required for business growth; absence of capacity building by small business operators to stimulate and exploit new business opportunities innovatively and create competitive edge thereby supporting companies to function efficiently and effectively and leverage on quality by integrating digital talent with enterprises to overcome and sustain customers' demand, This study, therefore, probes the relationship between strategic entrepreneurship alliance and sustainable growth of small businesses in Nigeria. This study limited its scope to Abuja Metropolis, Nigeria. This is because Abuja is the seat of power of the most populated country in Africa (Africa giant) with many business innovative opportunities and springing up of businesses that require collaboration for optimal growth and sustainability. The major aim of this study is to examine the linkage between strategic entrepreneurship alliances and small businesses' sustainable growth in Nigeria. Specifically to; The major aim this study is to examine the linkage between strategic entrepreneurship alliances and small businesses sustainable growth in Nigeria. Specifically to; 1. Examine the effect of vertical coalitions on sustainable business growth 2. Establish the effect of horizontal coalitions on sustainable business growth, From the specific objectives, the following hypotheses are posited; Ho1: Vertical associations have no significant effect on sustainable business growth in Nigeria Ho2: Horizontal associations have no major effect on sustainable business growth in Nigeria Strategic Entrepreneurship Alliances and Sustainable Growth of Small Businesses in Nigeria: The Nexus 14 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue VII Version I Year 2022 ( ) A © 2022 Global Journals