The Relationship between Government Policies on SMES and Development: A Study of Selected Countries

Abstract

Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship are agents of economic development. That explains why governments all over the globe show continuous interests in them through deliberate policies. This article is on government policies on entrepreneurship in selected countries – South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Nigeria. Economic indicators from the comparative research efforts showed that while these policies have been effective in South Africa, United Arab Emirates, which account for their present enviable economic status, Nigeria is still lagging behind. The factors responsible for this failing were comprehensively indentified and highlighted. Finally, it is assumed that having identified these challenges, policy makers and the concerned government agencies can now put the appropriate mechanisms to check the inhibitors of development.

Key words: Government Policies, Economic Development, Competitiveness, Global Prominence, Gross Domestic Product.