Strategic Partnership and Business Survival of SMEs in the North East Geopolitical Zone

This study examines the role of strategic partnerships in improving business survival among small and medium enterprises in the North East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Years of insecurity-related disruptions in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states have severely constrained the operating environments of local SMEs, making strategic alliances a potentially critical survival mechanism. The research employs a survey design targeting business owners and SME association leaders in Maiduguri, Yola, and Damaturu. A total of 70 respondents were selected through convenient and snowball sampling. Questionnaires and structured interviews provided primary data. Analysis combined descriptive statistics and chi-square testing. Findings indicate that SMEs engaged in formal strategic partnerships, including supplier cooperation agreements, market-sharing arrangements with complementary businesses, and donor-funded business linkage programs, demonstrate significantly higher survival rates in conflict-affected environments compared to isolated operators. The study finds that partnerships providing access to inputs, market channels, and shared security information are the most valuable for North East SME survival. The research also identifies weak contractual enforcement and trust deficits as primary barriers to effective partnership formation in the zone. The research concludes that SME development programs in the North East must prioritize partnership facilitation alongside security normalization to restore business viability. Keywords: strategic partnership, business survival, SMEs, North East Nigeria, conflict-affected markets.