Young Entrepreneurs in the Mobile Telephony Sector in Ghana: From Necessities to Aspirations

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81 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite increasing research interest in the mobile telephony sector, only a few studies have devoted attention to informal businesses in the sector. Using qualitative field data collected on young mobile telephony entrepreneurs in Accra, this paper argues that despite the businesses being ‘informal’, they cannot be dismissed as ‘necessity’ enterprises unworthy of support. On the contrary, many young entrepreneurs have aspirations which are influencing their desire to stay in business. The article thus questions the bifurcated nature of entrepreneurial motivations, using the burgeoning mobile telephony sector as a case study, and draws out implications for policy support for youth-run businesses in the informal sector generally.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)476-491
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of African Business
Volume18
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Oct 2017

Keywords

  • Ghana
  • Young people
  • informal businesses
  • mobile telephony
  • motivations

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