QUALITY AND RELEVANCE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION IN GHANA: PERSPECTIVES OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

Development agents advocate that with the rising unemployment among graduates, attention should focus on the private sector to create employment and promote development. Hence, the need for active human capital development through entrepreneurship education becomes crucial. As a response, universities in Ghana have introduced entrepreneurship as an undergraduate programme. However, the sustained increases in graduate unemployment over the years raise questions about the quality of entrepreneurship education. This paper analyses the views of students regarding the quality and relevance of entrepreneurial education in Ghanaian universities. We employed a descriptive cross-sectional research design and collected primary data from 342 undergraduate students, randomly selected from Takoradi Technical University (TTU) and University for Development Studies (UDS), using a questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square (χ2), and Mann-Whitney U tests. The results revealed that entrepreneurship curricular and teaching methods in TTU and UDS are consistent with the recommended active and learner-centred approach. We recommend that entrepreneurship should be a compulsory course at the undergraduate level to boost students’ entrepreneurial intention and propel economic growth.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, Ghana, Higher Academic institutions, Teaching methods, Undergraduates