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This study is aimed at examining the motivational patterns of women entrepreneurs in Small and Medium Enterprises and its effects their performance using South-West Nigeria as case study. The data for this study was gathered through the instruments of questionnaire, in-depth interview and participant observation. To achieve this objective, five hypotheses were formulated from the structure of research questions. Analysis of Variance, chi-square and correlation coefficient as statistical tools were used in testing the hypotheses. The results show that significant relationship exists between motivational patterns of women entrepreneurs and their performance; the challenges they face in business; their type of business ownership and environmental factors. The study also revealed that motivational factors which were classified into push and pull; intrinsic and extrinsic; forced and chanced and internal and external factors can act as both predictive and preventive measure for women entrepreneurs. Based on these findings, the study suggests that more women should be encouraged to start business and be equipped with managerial skills for effective performance.

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Chinonye Okafor, Ph.D (Entrepreneurship), BSc (Accounting), MBA and MSc (Management). She lectures with Covenant University, Ogun State, Nigeria. She specializes in Entrepreneurial Development Studies, Management and Business Studies. Her other titles include; Entrepreneurship: A Conceptual Approach, Fundamentals of Accounting and The ABC of Faith.

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