Why Youth Aspirations and Family Circumstances Matter for Entrepreneurship Interventions

Abstract

Over the last decade the Government of Tanzania has invested in entrepreneurship as a solution to unemployment and poverty. It has developed various national policies and guidelines alongside entrepreneurship programmes in partnership with development actors and financial institutions, particularly for youth from poor backgrounds. Despite these efforts, business failures and dropouts characterise youth engagement in entrepreneurship. When businesses survive, they tend to operate on a low scale with limited opportunities for growth. To address this, policymakers and implementers must ensure that interventions align better with young people’s career aspirations and develop safety nets to protect business capital from being used to supplement the incomes of poor families.