Moderating Effects of Public Support on The Relationship Between Green Entrepreneurial Orientation and Sustainable SMEs Performance in Bauchi State, Nigeria

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are vital drivers of economic growth and employment generation in Nigeria, yet their long-term viability remains precarious due to high failure rates and severe resource constraints. To address this vulnerability, this study investigates the direct effects of Green Entrepreneurial Orientation (GEO) dimensions, specifically green innovativeness and green proactiveness on Sustainable SMEs Performance (SSMEP), while evaluating the moderating role of Public Support (PS) in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Adopting a positivist paradigm and a cross-sectional survey design, primary data were collected from 612 registered SME owner-managers across multiple sectors using a structured questionnaire, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 3. The results indicate that green innovativeness exerts a strong, positive, and statistically significant direct effect on Sustainable SMEs Performance (β=0.304,p<0.001, beta = 0.304, p < 0.001β=0.304,p<0.001), whereas green proactiveness displays only a weaker, marginally significant direct effect (β=0.087,p=0.066, beta = 0.087, p = 0.066β=0.087,p=0.066). Furthermore, Public Support significantly and positively moderates the GEO–SSMEP relationship (β=0.171,p=0.001, beta = 0.171, p = 0.001β=0.171,p=0.001), validating the Resource Dependence Theory by demonstrating that internal green strategic resources require external public support to achieve optimal triple-bottomline outcomes. Consequently, policymakers, development agencies like SMEDAN, and SME owner-managers should integrate green-oriented support infrastructure, green finance windows, and technical assistance into enterprise development programmes to minimize the risks of green proactiveness and maximize eco-innovation returns. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to establish causality, expand the geographical scope to other regions or Sub-Saharan African countries, and test additional boundary conditions such as digital capabilities or circular economy practices.