GeoPoll, GEN and U.S. State Department Survey Shows Demand for Entrepreneurship Training in Africa

On the eve of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Kenya for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, GeoPoll, the Global Entrepreneurship Network and the U.S. State Department released a survey of 1,000 business owners throughout sub-Saharan Africa on entrepreneurship in their countries.

GeoPoll surveyed 200 entrepreneurs per country in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, asking them what resources are most needed to encourage entrepreneurship, what programs they have participated in to improve their businesses, and what are the biggest challenges facing new businesses.

Respondents gave insightful answers on the need for financial resources, better facilities and services, and government support to alleviate the challenges new businesses face. They were also asked about programs or activities they had participated in that helped improve their businesses, with many citing business seminars, ICT or computer training, and trade-specific workshops they had attended. The findings will be used at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit to highlight common needs of entrepreneurs across Africa and around the world.

Key findings include:

• 44% of respondents participated in a program or activity in the past year aimed at improving their business. Of these open-ended responses, several key categories were identified, including computer training, business or entrepreneurship seminars, and trade-specific workshops.
• When asked what would most help increase the number of entrepreneurs in their country, responses were quite divided. While 36% said “more financial resources”, 24% said “better facilities/services” and 23% replied “government support”.
• One question asked specifically about increasing youth and women entrepreneurship, which is the focus of GES’ opening day. Funding was cited as the resource most needed to help youth and women entrepreneurs at 41%, followed by government support (22%), access to market information (18%) and access to high-skilled workers (16%).
• There is a strong desire for more training resources, with training programs and entrepreneurship courses in school being the most popular responses to a question on how government could help people start businesses.
• Social media was found to be the most popular online tool for supporting business growth.

A downloadable report on the survey results from all five countries is available at gew.co/geopoll2015.

“As policymakers explore smart and sophisticated steps to develop healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems across the African continent, the voice of the entrepreneur must remain in the foreground,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “Being able to hear directly from the entrepreneurs helps guide our conversations at the Summit and beyond.”

GeoPoll is the world’s largest mobile survey platform, with a network of over 200 million users across Africa and Asia. GeoPoll collected responses to a 13-question survey from 200 individuals per country who identified as entrepreneurs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Surveys were conducted via SMS message the week of July 13, 2015.

About GeoPoll

GeoPoll is the world’s largest mobile survey platform, with a network of nearly 200 million users throughout Africa and Asia. GeoPoll’s platform conducts surveys through the mobile phone and provides results to clients in real-time, giving anyone the ability to make data-driven decisions.  Through work with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and governments, GeoPoll provides insights on everything from food security to brand preference. GeoPoll services include both custom research and subscription products.

About Global Entrepreneurship Network

The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN)  operates a platform of projects and programs in 170 countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering deeper cross border collaboration through initiatives engaging entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth. For details on the programs and initiatives that make up GEN, visit genglobal.org and follow @unleashingideas on Twitter.