| Abstract: | In spite of their contribution to employment and value-added of the economies of West African countries, the future of small enterprises depends on their financial viability. To this management efficiency makes a crucial contribution and available empirical evidence surveyed in this article shows major weaknesses in it. Often the right motivations are lacking, problems are ill-defined and record keeping as a major tool of information gathering and analysis is not practised. It is argued that more detailed investigation of the managerial processes of these enterprises should be undertaken as a basis for innovating in management practices in a way that is adapted to the needs and circumstances of the heterogenous types of small enterprises in West Africa. It is also suggested that facilities available for management training are too centralized adequately to reach rural towns and villages. A decentralized approach to extension should make training facilities more accessible to larger numbers of small entrepreneurs. The inclusion of management training in the traditional apprenticeship system and in the curricula of government trade and vocational training centres would also bring benefits. |
