YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A STRATEGY FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION: A CASE STUDY OF SIERRA LEONE IN THE MANO RIVER UNION
Keywords:
Youth entrepreneurship, poverty alleviation, Sierra Leone, Mano River Union, SMEs, access to finance, mentoring programs.Abstract
This study explores the relationship between youth entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation in
Sierra Leone, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study involved administering
questionnaires to 150 SME owners, including youth entrepreneurs in Guangzhou, Freetown, and online in
Liberia, Ghana, and Guinea. One-on-one interviews were conducted with staff of various organizations in
Sierra Leone. The findings show that youth entrepreneurship is a viable strategy for addressing poverty among
unemployed and uneducated youth in Sierra Leone and other Mano River Union countries. The study
recommends equipping policy makers and potential young entrepreneurs with information on the dynamics of
youth entrepreneurship in the region. The paper discusses poverty in relation to community needs and provides
a behavioral definition of entrepreneurship. It also identifies key challenges facing youth entrepreneurship
development, such as access to finance and mentoring programs.
