The impact of management and entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial activities of university graduates in Ghana.
Abstract
Youth employment in recent years has become a major challenge in Africa, especially in
Ghana. Despite the introduction of entrepreneurship and management education in the
country which is considered an important catalyst of the decision to start a business,
about 24 to 28 percent of the graduates still remain unemployed. This suggests that
unemployment is one of the major weakness of the Ghanaian economy. Nonetheless,
there exist few studies on the impact these courses has on entrepreneurial activities.
Using a mixed-method approach, the study investigated the impact of entrepreneurship
and management education on entrepreneurial activities of graduates in Ghana. Findings
revealed that entrepreneurial activities were high among graduates, with majority of
them from families that have the tradition of doing business. The study further
established that creative skills, ability to generate innovative ideas, drive and
determination and ability to sell one‘s vision were the most critical entrepreneurial skills.
Also, ability to make informed decisions, plan and organize, identify product benefits,
and technical skills were the most critical managerial skills needed for entrepreneurial
activities. The managerial and non-managerial challenges hindering entrepreneurial
activities among graduates included poor access to markets, poor management practices,
lack of government support, high taxation, inadequate work, entrepreneurial experience,
and lack of family support. In addition, entrepreneurship education was found to have a
significant impact on entrepreneurial activities of graduates. It was therefore
recommended that government should provide an enabling business environment and
business policies to enhance entrepreneurial activities in Ghana. Also, entrepreneurship
and management education should be made core course at all levels of education in the
country to enhance entrepreneurial skills and spirit among students.
Description
Keywords
management, entrepreneurship, education, business