TRANSFORMING ENTREPRENEURIAL ETHICS IN NIGERIA: INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN EDUCATION AND REGULATION WITH INSIGHTS FROM AFRICAN NATIONS AND EMERGING ECONOMIES

This manuscript explores the challenge of re-engineering entrepreneurial ethics in Nigeria's small-scale manufacturing sector through institutional reforms, emphasizing educational and regulatory interventions. Based on a review of 30 peer-reviewed studies, it highlights systemic weaknesses in Nigeria's entrepreneurial ecosystem, including endemic corruption, regulatory gaps, limited access to finance, and inadequate ethics education. These issues have led to the normalization of evasive behaviours, such as tax evasion and bribery, perceived as "best practices" in constrained environments. Employing institutional theory, the analysis investigates how both formal and informal institutions shape entrepreneurial ethics, particularly in the manufacturing sector, where ethical lapses can significantly impact economic growth and social welfare. Comparative analyses with other African nations (like Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya) and emerging economies (such as India and Brazil) provide transferable lessons and context-specific interventions. Key findings show that: (1) institutional quality plays a vital role in moderating the relationship between SME development and economic growth; (2) educational interventions must include practical entrepreneurship training along with explicit ethics curricula; (3) regulatory reforms should strengthen formal institutions while addressing informal norms that perpetuate corruption; and (4) effective reform requires coordinated action across educational systems, regulatory bodies, and cultural frameworks. The article concludes with policy recommendations focused on reforming educational curricula, strengthening regulatory frameworks, implementing anti-corruption measures, and building institutional capacities tailored to Nigeria's socio-economic context.