Assessing the barriers to entrepreneurship among graduates in Ghana

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Date
August, 2016
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Abstract
This study assessed the barriers to graduate entrepreneurship in Ghana by using the Brong-Ahafo Region as a case study. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was employed as one hundred and eighteen (118) questionnaires were retrieved for analysis purposes through the use of convenient sampling technique. Based on the findings of the study, it was revealed that the education related factors that serve as constraints to graduate entrepreneurship include the low level of entrepreneurship education in the tertiary educational institutions in Ghana, the inadequate curricula and study programs about entrepreneurship in the Ghanaian tertiary institutions, the existence of wrong teaching and learning methods in tertiary institutions which does not favor graduate entrepreneurship and the lack of trained entrepreneurship lecturers in tertiary institutions within Ghana. However, the funding/capital constraints of graduate entrepreneurship also comprised of the following: lack of personal start-up capital, lack of collateral in securing loans for start-ups, the existence of strict credit-scoring regulations in securing loans, the existence of rigorous documentation procedure in securing credit/funds and also the lack of knowledge and awareness of start-up financing opportunities. High taxes for businesses, the high cost of business registration and the bureaucratic processes in business registration were identified as the administrative/regulatory constraints affecting graduate entrepreneurship. The lack of business connection and contact networks for graduate entrepreneurs, the lack of knowledge of graduate entrepreneurs on available business support services in the country and also the lack of mentoring capacities for graduates constituted the lack of Business Assistance and Business Development Services that served as impediments to graduate entrepreneurship. The study therefore recommended the need for educational reforms in Ghana to include entrepreneurship in the curricula and also train teachers especially for entrepreneurship education from the basic levels through to the tertiary levels. The study also recommended the need for financial institutions to develop entrepreneurship friendly products that will encourage both parents and students to have the urge to save towards start-up funds for their businesses. The study further recommended the need for the Government of Ghana through the Ghana Revenue Authority to reduce the tax rate of start-up businesses of graduate entrepreneurs. Finally, the study recommended the need for the Registrar Generals Department to make use of ICT to enhance the effective registration of businesses devoid of bureaucratic procedures.
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‎ ‎A thesis submitted to the Department of Marketing ‎and Corporate Strategy of Kwame Nkrumah ‎University of Science ‎and Technology in ‎a partial fulfillment of the ‎award of the degree of Masters of ‎Business ‎Administration (Strategic Management ‎and Consulting),
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