Fostering entrepreneurial youth: MSM at UNIDO

MSM’s Dean, Professor Wim Naudé gave a keynote speech at the international conference on “Fostering Entrepreneurial Youth”, organized and hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria, on 13 November 2014.

Focusing on what is needed for “An Entrepreneurial Society for the Youth in Africa”, Professor Naudé shared some findings from MSM’s recent research on rural entrepreneurship in Africa, conducted by Paula Nagler and Wim Naudé.  This finds that although almost one in two rural households in Africa operates an enterprise, young adults (between 15 and 24 years) are less likely to do so, and if they do, their enterprises are less productive than those of older adults. Young adults seem in particular to find it difficult to access the more lucrative business opportunities, lacking capital, experience, skills and networks. They are often also pushed into low-productive enterprises due to necessity or as a result of having to cope with shocks, given that social security and micro-insurance are generally lacking.

The UNIDO conUNIDO 2014ference brought together 122 participants from 57 countries to discuss how education systems and the private sector can promote entrepreneurial attitudes and talent in the youth in various countries and circumstances.

 

Related Reading
Nagler, P. and Naudé, W.  (2014). Non-Farm Enterprises in Rural Africa: New Empirical Evidence, Policy Research Working Paper No. 7066. Washington DC: The World Bank.

Nagler, P. and W. Naudé (2014). Young Entrepreneurs in Rural Africa: Prevalence, Determinants, Productivity, IZA Discussion Paper No. 8564. Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor.

Related News
Best Paper Award for MSM Dean
MSM Seminar looks at best policies and practices in promoting women’s entrepreneurship
Non-farm entrepreneurship in Africa: telling facts from myths
MSM 2nd Annual Research Conference: "Our Youth: Conflict or Prosperity?"

Maastricht School of Management | Tapijnkazerne 11, 6211 ME Maastricht, The Netherlands | www.msm.nl | msm-infomail@maastrichtuniversity.nl