A professor of Enterprise Development, at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprise Development of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Mrs. Rosemond Boohene has underscored the need for entrepreneurship to begin at the Senior High School.
She said introducing the S.H.S students to entrepreneurship before their tertiary education will equip them with business ideas, and ideas for pitching or a presentation.
Prof. Boohene, also the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, made this appeal during her inaugural lecture held on Thursday.
She believes there is no need for SHS students to wait to get to the tertiary level before the entrepreneurship model is introduced, adding they ought to be exposed to such concepts early in their education to aid them in developing leadership, personal development, patriotism, and ethics.
“We want to start with the senior high schools before they go to tertiary educational institutions. And you can see that with the two-stage model, we are looking at the situation where by the time they get to the tertiary institution, which is the second stage, they might have developed business ideas, they might have been allowed to do a pitching or a presentation,” she noted.
Prof. Mrs. Boohene called for a more flexible regulatory framework such as simplifying and extending the registration for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises that can easily comply.
She said this would help mitigate potential breaches in the required regulations and aid the progress of their businesses.
“So, when I look at the policy, I’m looking at the regulatory framework and if you look at these small enterprises, there are a lot of regulations they have to comply with and you agree with me that they are trying to make ends meet, they are trying to make their businesses grow, so it’s sometimes become very difficult for them to even remember all these regulatory regimes they have to comply with. So, if we can make things simpler for them especially when it comes to the registration, ……. … So instead of making it one year, can we make it two years, can we make it three years, can we make it four years, so that every four years they’ll go and renew the registration of their businesses, professor Mrs. Boohene added”.
Pro-Vice Chancellor, UCC also called for improved infrastructure, water, and electricity necessary for the smooth running of these micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, while urging entrepreneurs to prioritize savings and invest in their businesses.
To her, these impinge on the activities of the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises adding that “there is a need for us to make sure that the infrastructure they need is up to date, they are positive, so that at the end of the day it influences their businesses positively.”
Speaking on the theme: “Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development in Practice: Tracking the Pathways”, she described entrepreneurship as one taking advantage of opportunities without being constrained by their owned resources.
According to her, the two concepts: entrepreneurship and enterprise development have been touted as important in every economy across the globe as both provide employment, support innovation, and serve as a source of livelihood for the majority of the populace.
Source: Eric Sekyi/ATLFMNEWS
