Background of the Study
The critical role of the industrial sector is predicated on the fact that it acts as an engine of growth by broadening the productive and export base of the economy, reducing unemployment and stemming rural-urban drift as well as helping to reduce poverty, (Umoro and Eborieme, 2013). Nigeria is an open economy. Accordingly, developments in international circles have profound implications on the path the country is going in terms of the development ofher industrial sector. It has been the goal of trading with countries to obtain improved and more secure access to markets abroad.
This is intended to provide the country with the opportunity to explore economies of scale beyond the limit of the domestic market and facilitate access to foreign exchange with which to finance critical imports needed for development (Adenikinju 2002). It is true that trade and trade policies are important determinants of economic performance. International trade offers opportunities for greater specialization,increased capacity utilization and import of goods and services. Within the Nigerian context, there has been a considerable amount of discussion on the inter-relationship between trade policy reforms, economic performance and industrial growth.
In the development literature, industrialization has been accepted as the major driving force of the modern economy. In most modern economies, industrial sector serves as the vehicle for the production of goods and services, the generation of employment and the enhancement of incomes.
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