Research Article
Artificial Intelligence and Entrepreneurial Marketing in SMEs in Edo State, Nigeria: A Critical Secondary-Data Analysis and Capability-Based Framework
Kingsley Chimaobi Akabuokwu*
,
Anthony Iyekekpolor
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 4, December 2026
Pages:
159-171
Received:
6 August 2026
Accepted:
17 August 2026
Published:
14 October 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.jbed.20261104.11
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through cloud software, generative AI, social-platform analytics, automated advertising, recommendation systems and conversational agents. Yet access to a tool is not equivalent to possession of an organisational capability. This article examines how AI can strengthen entrepreneurial marketing and SME performance in Edo State, Nigeria, while identifying the conditions under which adoption may produce weak, unequal or harmful outcomes. The study uses a critical secondary-data design that triangulates official Nigerian and Edo State policy and economic documents, national MSME statistics, peer-reviewed theory, and published Edo-focused survey results. It re-analyses reported descriptive statistics and regression outputs rather than fabricating primary observations. The evidence indicates that Edo SMEs perceive substantial performance benefits from AI-enabled outputs: a published 2024 survey reports approximately 70-72% agreement that AI improves decision quality, speed, customer service and opportunity identification. In the same study, data readiness explained 15.5% of reported performance variance and computational readiness explained 12.6%. A separate 2025 Edo-Delta study ranked ICT platforms as the strongest of three digital-transformation predictors, ahead of digital human resources and finance for technology. However, serious methodological weaknesses in the local evidence—including inconsistent sample counts, self-reported performance, non-probability sampling, cross-sectional designs and questionable model diagnostics—prevent strong causal conclusions. The article therefore advances an AI-enabled entrepreneurial marketing capability framework in which data quality, affordable compute, owner-manager competence and responsible governance enable AI to amplify seven entrepreneurial-marketing behaviours: proactiveness, opportunity focus, calculated risk-taking, innovativeness, customer intensity, resource leveraging and value creation. The central finding is that AI is best understood as an amplifier, not an autonomous source, of competitive advantage. It creates value when embedded in rapid market learning, disciplined experimentation and trusted customer relationships; it can also scale misinformation, bias, privacy violations and inefficient routines. The study concludes with a staged adoption pathway and policy recommendations for Edo State, business associations, universities, financial institutions and SME owner-managers.
Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through cloud software, generative AI, social-platform analytics, automated advertising, recommendation systems and conversational agents. Yet access to a tool is not equivalent to possession of an organisational capability. This article examines ho...
Show More
