Abstract:
Graduate unemployment is a long-standing socio-economic problem in Tanzania.
Consequently, the government of Tanzania is fostering entrepreneurship programmes in
higher education with the assumption that graduates will be empowered in their entry into
business. However, few graduates have started their own businesses. The thesis provides
reasons for this by measuring entrepreneurial tendencies, assessing determinants of the
tendencies,
identifying barriers to business start-up and assessing determinants of
graduates’ entrepreneurial entry intentions. A cross-sectional research design was
employed; 308 graduates were sampled using systematic random sampling.
A self-
administered questionnaire which included the General Enterprising Tendencies Test and
key informant interviews were applied in gathering information. Quantitative data were
analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to compute descriptive statistics,
independent-samples t-test, binary logistic regression, Pearson chi-square test and
Structural Equation Modelling whereby Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed
using Analysis of Moment Structures software. Qualitative data were analysed using
content analysis. The findings showed that, generally, university graduates had low
entrepreneurial tendencies. Moreover, graduates who studied entrepreneurship had higher
entrepreneurial
tendencies
than
their
counterparts
(p
<
0.05).
Furthermore,
entrepreneurship education, parents’ education level, number of children in a family,
parents’ occupation, age and birth order position contributed to predicting entrepreneurial
tendencies (p < 0.05). Also, inappropriate teaching methods, lack of business experience,
deficiencies in the university programmes, commitments to extended families and
bureaucratic tendencies were major barriers to business start-up among university
graduates (p < 0.05). Besides, there was a positive association between studying
entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial entry intention (p < 0.05). Graduates’ sex, age, birthiii
order position and marital status significantly contributed to predicting graduates’
entrepreneurial entry intention (p < 0.05). Universities countrywide should make
entrepreneurship training compulsory to all students. Graduates are urged to join forces
with their siblings in forming and owning firms to offset their inborn or rearing
weaknesses. Regarding lack of business experience, universities should adopt
apprenticeship and field attachment approach.
