Production subcontracting and the distribution of industrial activities in Onitsha metropolis Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract Subcontracting is becoming increasingly significant and important in today's economic world. It emphasizes the importance of improved collaboration, coordination, and adaptability among production entities such as industries, businesses, and institutions. Although production subcontracting has sparked a lot of debate on a broad level, there has been relatively little research done on it in terms of industrial activity. This paper analysed the role of production subcontracting in the distribution of industrial activities in Onitsha Metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria. While the study adopted a survey research design and a questionnaire survey of 115 industries, charts, percentages and tables were used to show results. The result of the study showed that 49.9% of the industries subcontracted manufacturing activities, while 26.7%, 5% and 1.7% of the surveyed industries subcontracted maintenance, technical development and distribution/marketing industrial activities respectively. The paper recommended that production subcontracting be made a deliberate government policy so as to propel the growth of service industries/subcontracting industries in Nigeria.