By
Kase Knochenhauer
This
study attempts to describe the strengths and weaknesses of attributes commonly
exhibited by the young entrepreneurs in the central region of Ghana. Results
are compared to previous studies from Poland, the United States, and Nicaragua.
Eight groups of Ghanaian students self-evaluated the young people of Ghana
across the attributes of creativity, energy, self-direction and risk taking.
The results may indicate behaviors and thought patterns in Ghana that make
successful entrepreneurship difficult. Results for the study were discovered
through a class discussion at University of Cape Coast during a student
discussion who evaluated their peers.
Ghana
is a country that only recently received its independence from colonial rule,
and although the British rule ended in 1957, many of its effects are still in
play. The remnants of colonial rule may be responsible for the negative
self-perceptions many Ghanaians exhibit towards their country’s goods and
products. While they are proud of themselves and their country many have little
confidence in what they produce. “It’s from England it must be better.” One
seamstress sewed a “made in China” tag in the cloths she produced because they
sold better. Remnants of colonial rule may be in part responsible, as socialism
was Poland and Nicaragua, for their lack of confidence in Ghanaian goods the
lower perception of self-direction. Before Ghana’s independence, the British
acted as a governmental parent controlling the future steps of the nation. Now
an independent nation, Ghana still seems trapped under the umbrella of others
influence. Businesses mimic the parental influence of Britain and other
European nations and sometimes even appear unwilling to move outside their
realm of influence. Self-direction may be perceived as a weaker trait because
in the past Britain made the calls, this leaves many Ghanaians uncomfortable to
take the lead today.
It is
interesting to see that the same problems surround creativity in both Poland
and Ghana. For the most part, those
interviewed say that their own country exhibits this trait but also add that it
is not supported financial, with education or with proper facilities. In Poland
it was found that under the socialistic education system students were
encouraged to blend in and move together in a similar and parallel fashion.
This does not encourage creativity or self-direction. The typical Ghanaian
classroom lacks hands-on-experience that can encourage creativity; yet a
typical business in Ghana requires these traditional hands on skills. The
British-based education system, which much of Ghana exhibits, teaches students
that traditional African craft are for the illiterate. When these skills are
not taught in the classroom students assume these traditional African crafts
and hard manual labor is something for the uneducated.
In
Ghana, creativity was observed in the process of production rather than the
product itself. It seemed creativity was a product of imitation. Seamstresses,
carpenters, and craftsmen often imitated products directly out of a catalog
exactly as they were produced elsewhere. These locally produced goods failed to
improve products or ideas that could easily have been modified from their
original state. They imitated but were not willing to emulate these designs
into their own culture.
In
Ghana and Poland, there is a common belief that risk taking is difficult
because it is believed the payoff will not likely occur. In both countries
there was read concern that they would lose everything. Ghanaians commonly
described that taking a risk puts immense stress and even danger to entire
families. Additionally, it was found that the perceived consequences of a risk
often outweighed the benefits. Ghanaians also described severe social stress
when taking a risk. Many Ghanaians were looking for work but would turn down
every apprenticeship position open. These paid positions are often left
unfilled because it is believed that they are meant for the illiterate and
uneducated. They describe a country where status is more important than wealth;
chance of financial gain is far outweighed by the social risk of “stepping
down” to a position of hard labor.
The
four traits energy, creativity, risk-taking, and self-direction could be seen
as essential for successful entrepreneurship. Missing two of the attributes
makes entrepreneurship and country wide development much more difficult. It is
most interesting to see that in Ghana, Poland, and Nicaragua the same problems
exist for varying reasons. In all three countries, development in entrepreneurship
is slowed by their perceived lack of self-direction and admitted fear of taking
risks.
To
see more on entrepreneurship and innovation in Ghana visit Kase Knochenhauer’s
blog at landofthegoats.blogspot.com
