International Journal of Business and Economics Volume 17, No. 3 December, 2018

Journey into Entrepreneurship: Access and Challenges of Ghanaian Youths

Samuel Adams

GIMPA School of Public Services and Governance, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Ghana

Fanny Adams Quagrainie

GIMPA Business School, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Ghana

Abstract

The objective of this research is to extend knowledge about youths' entrepreneurial experiences in terms of their access and challenges to entrepreneurship. This study adopts a narrative analysis framework using responses of interviews from 69 youth entrepreneurs in Madina, Ghana, presenting findings that most youth entrepreneurs are motivated by push factors like the need to earn income, association with a family business, and motivational speeches on entrepreneurship. The key challenges identified include social, economic, and personal factors. The main personal challenge to youths is their ability to innovate or come up with new ideas, while not being accepted by colleagues and the elderly is another main challenge especially in the early stages of their entrepreneurial development. Lack of business support and inefficient technology are identified as the main economic challenges experienced by the entrepreneurs. The study further finds that motivational speeches are sources of developing entrepreneurship among youths.

Keywords：entrepreneurial experiences, youth entrepreneurs, Ghana, motivational speeches, challenges of youth entrepreneurship.

JEL Classifications：M13.

BACK