AL WOLKITE WOLKITE, ETHIOPIA i ASSESSING THE CHALLENGES OF YOUTH ENTREPRENEURS IN AND SMALL ENTERPRISES : IN THE CASE OF GURAGE ZONE. MURAD JEMAL KEMAL WOLKITE UNIVERSITY WOLKITE, ETHIOPIA JUNE, 2020 ENTREPRENEURS IN MICRO GURAGE ZONE

Abstract

the main objective of this study was to assess the challenges of youth entrepreneur in Gurage zone. For the sake of achieving the objective of this study questionnaires were analyzed using statistical analyses such as descriptive analyses. Moreover, the study utilized cross-sectional in the sense that all relevant data was collected at a single point in time. The respondent youth entrepreneurs were selected using stratified sampling technique from a target population of 384 youth entrepreneur in MSE. The information gleaned through questionnaires from a sample of 184 youth entrepreneurs and face- to- face interviews were conducted with 9 key informants in MSE offices. Beside this the interview questions were analyzed using descriptive narrations. The empirical study elicited the main challenges of youth entrepreneurs in Gurage zone, which include: economic challenge (infrastructure, lack of premises, lack of market, lack of networking, lack of finance lack of managerial skill); lack of training, legal/administrative challenge and socio-cultural challenges. Training challenge take the leading position of severity followed by legal/ administrative challenges, economic challenges and socio cultural challenges respectively. Based on the findings of the study youth entrepreneurs should make lobbies together to the concerned government officials by forming entrepreneurs associations. Besides this, youth entrepreneurs in MSEs should search for other alternative supporting agents rather than relaying only on MSE offices in improving their performance and solving problems. Furthermore, MSE offices should also facilitate training with stakeholders and discuss with municipalities and other administrative bodies to make youth entrepreneur’s owners of working premise (land), facilitates finance and solve other challenges of youth