ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effect of bank consolidation on the performance of SMEs in Nigeria. This study adopted the ex-post-facto research design and time series data from 2005 to 2015 were collected from Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission database, Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria database. The Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression in a multiple regression framework was used to estimate the partial impact of the coefficient of the key variables. Te t-statistic was used to test the three hypotheses formulated for the study. The results emanating from this study indicated bank consolidation had positive and significant impact on the number of registered SMEs in post consolidation era in Nigeria; assets size of SMEs and bank consolidation has positive and non-significant effect on bank lending to SMEs in post consolidation banking era in Nigeria. The study, thus, concludes that the consolidation exercise in 2005 was a welcome development aimed at enhancing the growth of SMEs. We therefore, recommend, among others, that government should make policies that will strengthen and boost access to funds for small and medium scale enterprises. Again, banks should continually increase their capital base so as to boost their funds availability to SMEs. This will ensure continual survival and growth of SMEs which have been adjoined as the engine room for economic growth and development of nations.