Abstract:

Entrepreneurship, is increasingly seen as a key vector for development and a viable alternative to dependent employment and unemployment. Thus, it is a growing concern in the academic field and in the political arena, especially in developing countries, such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa, where entrepreneurship is often presented as the solution for inclusive economic growth. Therefore, some governments and institutions are beginning to invest in public policies and programs to promote entrepreneurship.

In Mozambique, under the National Agenda to Combat Poverty, a program for poverty reduction and creation of new jobs, one of the vectors is the promotion of entrepreneurship through the education system with an emphasis in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) because of their potential to promote innovative entrepreneurship. Based on the case of Mozambique, this study intends to understand what factors determine the (in) effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in HEI. More specifically, it aims to understand the influence of gender, family history, financial resources, networks and the type entrepreneurship curricula (more or less focused on business creation) in the learning outcomes of entrepreneurship education, in terms of intention / attitude / entrepreneurial behavior (locus of control, propensity to take risks, need of achievement, tolerance to ambiguity, innovativeness, perceived behavioral control, personal attitude, entrepreneurial Intention).

After a literature review focused on:
i)entrepreneurship and its determinants,
ii) entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention,
iii) attitudes and behaviors, the empirical study is presented.

It includes a sample of 12 HEI establishments, selected from a universe of 33, with entrepreneurship education. Data collection was done through questionnaires (n=557) to HEI students in the last year that attended an entrepreneurship course. Statistical analysis, including multiple linear regressions, where performed.

The study concludes that:
(i) the financial resources influence the locus of control, tolerance to ambiguity and Innovativeness;
(ii) family history increases the need of achievement and Innovativeness;
(iii) networks increase the propensity to take risks, the perceived behavioral control and entrepreneurial intention, and finally,
(iv) entrepreneurship education in HEI whose teaching programs are geared to business creation have not considerable influence on attitudes or entrepreneurial intentions.

In practical terms, the study is important for academics and political leaders to have more sustainable references to implement programs of entrepreneurship education. From an academic point of view, the study allows to further understand the problematic of entrepreneurship education and what factors affect their effectiveness, especially in the contexts of developing countries

Keywords:

Entrepreneurship education, Higher Education Institutions, Entrepreneurial Intention, Mozambique.