The rate of youth unemployment has been a major challenge for preceding and consecutive Ghanaian governments. There is evidence to suggest how different economic interventions to bridge this gap have failed to yield the expected results. The intended beneficiaries of these interventions are caught in a quagmire of what they perceive as opportunities within the environment which are sometimes divergent from that of government. This is due to the influencing role of two main factors: their knowledge and perception. We carry out a study to reveal the relationship that exist between entrepreneurial environment and entrepreneurial intentions and how knowledge and perception of the youth mediate this relationship. A sample survey of 187 youth using questionnaires were administered and the results analyzed using the partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Overall, entrepreneurial knowledge and perception variables showed a partial mediation in their relationship with entrepreneurial environment and entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial perception showed a higher mediating effect of the two mediators on the target construct, entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial perception showed the highest Cronbach’s alpha of .90 of all the variables. We advance the theory of entrepreneurship intention to show how the dual mediating interactivities are influenced by the entrepreneurship environment. The need to build a supportive entrepreneurial environment is critical in transforming the youth perception to boost their knowledge in entrepreneurship to engage in business enterprises. These are critical for policy makers, implementers, and entrepreneurial trainers.
This study analytically examines the structure and characteristics of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and African trade networks by applying network analysis techniques through a critical and in‐depth description of the international trade of Eastern African countries as part of the world trade network. Sixty‐four countries' trade flow data between 2000 and 2018 from the International Monetary Fund, was used, and the network indices indicate that the BRI significantly enhances the trade network's connectivity. The empirical results indicate that density, the degree of centralization, and average node intensity are typically growing, and China is in the central position of the network. Furthermore, East African intra‐regional trade tends to be more densely connected under the BRI. This, in effect, demonstrates that the BRI countries have experienced a rise in intra‐regional trade at different levels of economic development. Therefore, this study recommends that policymakers should consider the BRI's critical role in reforming trade policies to build a resilient and sustainable African economy.
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