This paper reports the results of an investigation that tests the applicability of technology acceptance model (TAM) in understanding consumers’ attitude to self-service financial technologies (SSTs) and the determinants of their adoption decisions in a semi-urban community in Ghana. A quantitative cross-sectional research approach was adopted to collect data from 372 randomly selected respondents for the study. The hypothesized model was subjected to structural equation modelling. The results show that usefulness of the technology to consumers combined with trust, reliability, and security influence consumers’ adoption decisions. The results further indicate that SSTs provides a pathway to financial inclusion and can stimulate small enterprise development and job creation in Ghana’s semi-urban communities.

This paper aims at determining Business Development Service Providers’ (BDSPs) pathways and involvement of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in development and delivery of Business Development Service (BDS). The study was conducted in Arusha City and Moshi Municipality, in Tanzania. A total of 65 BDS providers and 254 MSMEs were sampled and a cross-sectional research design was used for this study. Respondents were selected by using a purposive and a simple random sampling procedure. Data were collected using a questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs). Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis, while quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results indicated that most of the pathways utilized by BDS providers in service delivery to MSMEs were seminars, trainings and workshops. Others were vocational training, incubators, technical transfer and promotion of appropriate technology, trade fair exhibitions, and consultancy as well as business information services. However, there were no institutionalized approaches regarding BDS delivery approaches among the surveyed BDS providers. Similarly, the surveyed BDS providers indicated limited MSMEs involvement in needs assessment, service designing and delivery approaches. Due to several constraining factor such as inadequate financial resources, lack of coordination and inadequate BDS providers’ information and awareness among MSMEs. The study concludes that it is not possible to determine which pathway is the most appropriate to follow in delivering services to MSMEs. Therefore, the choice of the pathway depends mostly on the focus of the providers delivering BDS. The study recommends that BDS providers need to ensure that their delivery pathways are clients oriented by involving them in the whole process of service delivery particularly in the needs assessment, services designing and delivery. Furthermore, the study recommends that the policy makers advocate for strategies that will facilitate MSMEs involvement in BDS designing and the delivery processes. Such strategies should include MSMEs capacity building and the use of appropriate participation methods. Likewise, the strategies should focus on improving MSMEs involvement in the BDS delivery process to ensure sustainable MSMEs development is achieved.

Despite institutional efforts to integrate entrepreneurship courses into the mainstream education system in most developing countries, empirical evidence of whether and how they influence business start-up intentions through entrepreneurial competencies remains scarce. Against this perception, this paper explores the influence of entrepreneurial competencies on business start-up intentions. Partial Least Squares Path Modelling (PLS-PM) was used to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and business start-up intentions and how the antecedents of Theory of Planned Behaviour mediate their relationships using empirical data collected from 391 graduates who graduated between 2012 and 2017 from technical universities in the commercial city of Tanzania (Dar es Salaam). The findings reveal that entrepreneurial competencies influence attitudes toward start-ups and perceived behavioural control, jointly predicting business start-up intentions. However, their influence was more significant when mediated by attitudes toward start-ups and perceived behavioural control. Curriculum designers should design entrepreneurship programs using experiential pedagogies to facilitate learners’ acquisition of entrepreneurial competencies, attitudes towards start-ups, and perceived behavioural control.

Entrepreneurship is a lucrative occupation that offers its pursuers promises of wealth. However, as much as entrepreneurship is rewarding, it can bear undesirable consequences if it is not guided by a sense of responsibleness to consider seriously sustainability of the earth and flourishing of all humanity. Surely, entrepreneurship which only focuses on profit optimization can contribute to environmental pollution and income and wealth disparity. The earth is experiencing rising temperatures partly due to some entrepreneurial activities as individuals and nations seek to create wealth. Furthermore, the world is experiencing increased human suffering partly due to exploitation by business owners who prioritize personal gain at the expense of their employees. This paper critically reviews relevant literature to highlight the dark side of entrepreneurship and to appeal for responsibleness among entrepreneurs based off missiological perspective on the purpose of humans on earth. The paper points to missiology as a potential academic field that can encourage a sense of responsibleness in entrepreneurial endeavors to enrich scholarship. The main contribution of this paper is that a missiological understanding of the origins and the purpose for which humans exist on earth could help to foster responsible entrepreneurship that could promote environmental sustainability and flourishing of all humanity. By doing so, this paper also appeals to missiologists to engage entrepreneurship seriously in their scholarly work.

The study aimed at evaluating the interest and attitude of Junior High School (JHS) learners in the entrepreneurial skills topic taught as part of the Social Studies subject, which is one of the common core subjects newly introduced for basic 7 to 10 levels of study. Data was collected from 103 JHS students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Basic School. Data collection was done using both questionnaire and interview guide. Data and information collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the study revealed that the respondents had shallow knowledge on the entrepreneurial topic, citing a lack of practical training and experience on the part of the teachers. The respondents believed that well trained and experienced practitioners should be used in teaching the entrepreneurial skills topic. The study concludes that schools have fundamental roles to play in ensuring effective entrepreneurial education for the youth since entrepreneurship education in Ghana is seen as one of the best ways to solve the graduate unemployment situation in the country. The study recommends the need to review the curriculum on entrepreneurship to cover the development of student’s knowledge, skills and practical abilities. In addition staff should be supported and exposed to industrial experience on the topic, to enable them teach the practical aspects of the entrepreneurial content. The study further recommends that efforts should be made to involve experienced practitioners in teaching the subject.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relevance of entrepreneurial education and students’ entrepreneurial intentions at the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). Despite the fact that entrepreneurship education has been given much attention recently, the question remains as to how it has been of help to students at OUT towards self-employment and business venture creation.
The study employed theory of planned behavior by Ajzen and theory of entrepreneurial intent by Shapero and Sokol. A mixed method approach was employed using linear regression and thematic analysis. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to undergraduate students during face-to-face sessions and during preparation for annual exams in their regional centers. The qualitative data were collected using focus group discussions. Findings revealed a positive relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions.
The implication is that entrepreneurship education at OUT confirms the need to incorporate entrepreneurship course to all programmes offered at the university and as a suggestion to entire education system in the country.