The role of micro-and small businesses in promoting economic development has been well documented (Robson et al. 2009). In sub-Saharan Africa, most of these businesses are found in the informal sector (Adams 2008; Schneider 2008). In Ghana, informal sector employment represents about 80% of the total private sector labor force, a similar proportion to that found in other African countries (Debrah 2007; Palmer 2007). 1 However, although the informal sector makes a major contribution to the Ghanaian economy, government support for enterprise development has largely focused on the formal sector (Robson and Obeng 2008). A report on job creation and skill development in Ghana noted that rising educational levels are producing higher levels of earnings in the informal sector (World Bank 2008). While such developments are encouraging, it is also evident that many of Africa’s microenterprises still lack the necessary human and financial resources to “make the leap” out of traditional market niches (Dia 1996, 155). This long-standing issue is prompting calls for new forms of educational provision to help business owners to develop their enterprises (Adams 2008). © 2013 Taylor & Francis.
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