Supply Chain Disruptions and Business Resilience: Evidence from Agri-Business Enterprises in Nsukka Agricultural Zone

The vulnerability of agricultural supply chains to disruptions, ranging from climate variability and infrastructure deficits to global market shocks, has intensified concerns about business resilience among agri-enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines the effect of supply chain disruptions on the resilience of agri-business enterprises operating in the Nsukka Agricultural Zone of Enugu State. The study is theoretically anchored on the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, which posits that a firm's ability to deploy and reconfigure internal resources determines its capacity to absorb and recover from external shocks. A cross-sectional survey design was employed. The target population comprised 196 registered agri-business operators and cooperatives within the Nsukka zone. A sample of 131 respondents was obtained through purposive and stratified random sampling. A structured questionnaire served as the primary data collection instrument, supplemented by key informant interviews. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Findings indicate that logistics failures, input supply inconsistencies, and market access barriers are the most significant drivers of supply chain disruption in the study area. The results further show that firms with diversified supplier networks, strong financial buffers, and adaptive capacity demonstrate significantly higher resilience scores. It is concluded that building supply chain resilience requires deliberate investment in organisational flexibility and risk management infrastructure. The study recommends that agri-business operators form inter-firm alliances and leverage government agricultural intervention programmes to build collective supply chain buffers.

Keywords: Supply chain disruption, business resilience, agri-business, Resource-Based View, Nsukka