Roles of managers and stakeholders perception on solar technology adoption intention : a case of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) in Lagos state, Nigeria

Abstract

Power shortages are rampant in Africa, and Nigeria is not an exception. Further, solar technology as a viable alternative source of electricity, which would mitigate this problem, has been slow to be adopted. This study explored the impact of attitude from the theory of planned behavior, disruptive innovation activities (DIA), awareness-knowledge, and opportunities and barriers for managers (owners) of MSME in terms of their intention to adopt solar technology for their business. A sequential mixed-method approach was adopted in this study. First, a questionnaire was administered to collect data from a sample of 400 managers (owners) of MSME respondents in Lagos State, Nigeria. A multivariate technique was applied to test the hypotheses using structural equation modeling (AMOS-23). This was followed by in-depth interviews conducted with 25 purposefully selected participants from the same group and thematic analyses. The findings showed that attitude, DIA, and opportunity have a significant impact on the intention to adopt solar technology; however, awareness-knowledge and barriers were not significant. These independent variables explained 71% of the variance of the dependent variable intention. In addition, DIA was found to have a significant impact on opportunities, barriers, and attitude. However, barriers impact on attitude was not significant. These findings not only provide evidence for MSME strategic planning to ensure sustainable business growth for their businesses, but also provide new knowledge for policy and decision-makers, manufacturing and installation (suppliers) companies, and other stakeholders for renewable energy as a part of long-term sustainable development.