Non-farm entrepreneurial activities constitute significant proportion of rural income in Nigeria. These activities have been known to be critical for employment generation, income and survival of their proprietors and their families. However, while many rural people a engage in entrepreneurial activities, fewer rural residencies are creating and sustaining successful enterprises. Many rural entrepreneurs have been abandoning their enterprises for lack of effective competition with modern urban-based industries (Alimba: 2003).
The study conducted by Centre for Industrial Research and Development (CIRD: 1992) revealed that the major problems confronting small and micro enterprises include finance and techno-managerial incompetence. Though training can solve many of these problems, training for rural entrepreneurs in Nigeria remains very limited. Efforts by Nigerian government to provide competitive skills to rural dwellers have emphasis agrarian and technical skills with little or no traditional content.
Given this situation, the study aims at assessing the training needs of rural non-farm entrepreneurs in the study area to determine the skill and education they need for improved performance and productivity.