ABSTRACT

One of the recurring challenges of entrepreneurship in Africa is the unrelenting preference for foreignlabeled products over the home-made ones. Christened “Aba-made” in Nigeria (after a major commercial and entrepreneurial hub in southeastern part of the country), the phenomenon is more pronounced in clothing, footwear, and other leather works. This chapter explores the underpinnings of this sustained choice irrationality, drawing insights from a study on the footwear industry in Aba, Nigeria. The resultant Consumption Complex Syndrome (CCS) – a state of consumer mind that consistently predisposes him to foreign-labeled products, even when the local versions are preferred in a blind brand experiment – is examined. A model, hinged on the Hierarchy of Effects, is proffered for better entrepreneurial and policy management of this phenomenon.