_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: hamzaagaladanchi@auk.edu.ng, hamzaaliyu@yahoo.com; Asian J. Econ. Busin. Acc., vol. 23, no. 21, pp. 9-18, 2023 Asian Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting Volume 23, Issue 21, Page 9-18, 2023; Article no.AJEBA.106572 ISSN: 2456-639X Does Entrepreneurial Orientation Affect the Performance of Women-owned SMEs in the Banditry Zone? The Empirical Evidence from Kebbi State, Nigeria Hamza Aliyu Galadanchi a* and Zainab Alkali a a Department of Business Administration, College of Social and Management Science, Al-Qalam University Katsina, Nigeria. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between both authors. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/AJEBA/2023/v23i211111 Open Peer Review History: This journal follows the Advanced Open Peer Review policy. Identity of the Reviewers, Editor(s) and additional Reviewers, peer review comments, different versions of the manuscript, comments of the editors, etc are available here: https://www.sdiarticle5.com/review-history/106572 Received: 13/07/2023 Accepted: 18/09/2023 Published: 29/09/2023 ABSTRACT This study was carried out to investigate how women-owned small and medium-sized businesses in Kebbi State, Nigeria, have fared in the face of banditry by using entrepreneurial orientations. In order to gather information from women-owned SMEs, a cross-sectional survey methodology was adopted. A cluster sampling approach was used to select 234 participants at random for the study and questionnaires used as a research instrument for data collection. The study's hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The result found that taking risks, being aggressive in the marketplace, and being independent are crucial entrepreneurial orientations for the success of SMEs in Kebbi State, Nigeria. It is assumed that innovation will boost business performance, but the results of this study show that innovation has Original Research Article