Abstract:

The transformation of universities globally have focused on aspects such as curricula improvement, increased funding for research, staff and students demographics, community support and entrepreneurship education. Markedly, the transformation include the transition of universities from ivory tower status to institutions that incorporate innovation, technology transfer as well as social, economic and technological development in their core operations. Another goal for the transformation agenda of these universities is to make them centers for knowledge production that meet the needs of the society. While findings from seminal researches in other geographical contexts point to positive achievements in entrepreneurial education, not much success has been reported from universities in most part of Africa particularly in relation to the establishment of start-ups and businesses. A corollary is that many students who complete universities become jobless upon completion of their study and often spend months or even years in search of non-existent jobs. For example in Ghana, most universities have incorporated entrepreneurship as a course in their programmes but a lot of the graduates who pass out remain unemployed and continue to search for jobs. In order to provide some answers to the underlying challenges facing universities in relation to the promotion of entrepreneurial climate, this study examines the influence of entrepreneurial culture on the uptake of entrepreneurship by students during and after completion of their programmes. The major research question was what cultures influence the uptake of entrepreneurship by students during and after completion of their programmes? Using a qualitative research approach by way of interviews among three entrepreneurs who were former students of three different universities and two lecturers of entrepreneurship in two universities in Ghana, relevant data was gathered for the study. Results show that the entrepreneurial culture in most universities were very weak and did not provide the desired entrepreneurial values, beliefs, positive assumption that could inculcate among students the desire to establish their own businesses. Secondly, the study revealed that most students who went on to start up their own businesses upon completion of their programmes developed their practical skills from their active involvement in their businesses. The study highlights the importance of an institutional culture and the adoption of other methods such as mentorship from professionals from other industries and the establishment of on-campus business incubation centers that would promote entrepreneurship among students.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurial education, technology, innovation, higher education, institutional culture.