Influence of Climate Resilience Strategies on Growth of Small-Scale Enterprises in Port-Harcourt Metropolis

The study examined the influence of climate resilience strategies on the growth of small-scale enterprises. Specifically, it focused on business continuity planning, product diversification, and sustainable supply chain management as key strategies that may enhance enterprise development. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, which enabled the researcher to gather data from a large number of respondents and describe existing conditions without manipulating any variables. The population comprised 7,800 registered small-scale enterprises drawn from various sectors, including manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and services. Using Taro Yamane’s formula, a sample size of 381 was obtained, but in line with Nwankwo (2006), 500 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling to ensure fair representation. A structured questionnaire titled Influence of Climate Resilience Strategies on Growth of Small-Scale Enterprises Questionnaire (ICRSGSSEQ) was used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts in Business Education and Measurement and Evaluation, and its reliability was confirmed through the Cronbach Alpha method, which yielded a coefficient of 0.86. Out of 500 distributed copies, 482 were correctly completed and analysed. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while linear regression analysis tested the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that business continuity planning, diversification of products, and sustainable supply chain management did not have significant influence on the growth of small-scale enterprises. The results showed weak relationships between the examined variables and enterprise growth, with R² values close to zero and p-values above 0.05. This suggests that while these strategies are present among small business owners, they do not meaningfully determine business expansion. Based on the findings, it was recommended that business owners should update their continuity plans regularly to address possible risks, conduct market research before diversifying products to align with customer needs, and strengthen supplier relationships by promoting ethical and sustainable practices that support long-term stability.