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This article analyzes the conditions for, and implications of, inter-organizational knowledge acquisition (IOKA) in two Nigerian technology SMEs in the context of an integrated systems development project. The results of the study reveal the complexity of the learning methods, the difficulties regarding the social relations developed by the engineers during the realization of the project, and the constraints related not only to the setting up of structures of support for these relations but also to the characteristics of the targeted knowledge. Finally, they show the influence of a cultural phenomenon on the behavior of those involved in knowledge acquisition operations.