The internationalization of Nigerian firms: Motivations and location patterns

Abstract

Despite the increased number of studies of the internationalization of emerging-market multinationals (EMNCs), Latin American and Asian firms have dominated the focus of such studies, while the study of the internationalization process of sub-Saharan African firms in the international business literature is quite limited. Therefore, this article examines the motivations and location patterns of the internationalization process of four Nigerian firms through a multiple case study approach. The findings show that the internationalization of the Nigerian firms is a recent phenomenon, but the foreign investment pattern reflects a pan-African investment strategy. However, the findings also reveal that the firm-specific advantages that had been accumulated in the domestic market, coupled with home-country factors and regional-/host-market factors, were key determinants of the motivations and location patterns in the internationalization process of Nigerian firms.