Rationalising the introduction of entrepreneurship education in Gabon

Abstract

The paper reports the findings of a study that investigated the need for entrepreneurship education in Gabonese schools. Gabon is facing problems such as high rate of poverty, youth and graduate unemployment and overdependence on the government for basic needs. This study therefore stresses the importance of entrepreneurship education as a means to assist in developing the Gabonese economy by equipping learners with entrepreneurial skills, which will likely free them from depending on the government. Participants in this study included learners, teachers and a government official representing the Ministry of Education. For data collection, the study made use of interviews and self-administered questionnaires, which assisted in obtaining a more comprehensive picture of the problem at hand. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis because it was easy to use, and also allowed the researchers to create graphs for easy understanding of the analysis. While the findings suggest that there is a yearning for entrepreneurship education in Gabonese schools, there was also ample evidence that there is a necessity for teachers to be trained in entrepreneurship. Although previous studies have produced almost similar results, this study is unique in that it is the very first of its kind to be focused on Gabon; principally Libreville.