Assessing the Need for Entrepreneurial Training at the Higher Educational Institutions in Ghana

Abstract

Collaboration among educational institutions, governments, and industries has made significant economic impact in many countries. Keys to success in the collaboration have been environments provided by the governments that are conducive to entrepreneurship, and the industries’ contribution to experiential learning. In 2003, Ghana responding to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Agenda for Poverty Reduction, had in her strategic plan the intent to introduce entrepreneurial training as an option for all courses of study at the higher educational institutions. This mixed-method study compared the entrepreneurship traits of students who had taken an entrepreneurship course and those who had not. The bottom-line idea was to explore the job creation potential or ability among the university students in Ghana – a possible solution to youth unemployment and poverty. The study showed that the strategy of offering entrepreneurial training at the higher educational institutions in Ghana is worth implementing and supporting it. In fact, it is worthy to be emulated by other countries in the sub region. Countries seeking economic growth and poverty reduction in the 21st century should consider including entrepreneurial training to develop the creative and innovative skills of their youth.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship training, poverty reduction, unemployment in Ghana, human capital, triple helix.