THE ENTREPRENEURIAL LIVED EXPERIENCE OF BLACK AFRICAN ENTREPRENEURS IN THE UK
Published on 1 March, 2024.
The development of ethnic entrepreneurship in scholarly and entrepreneurial activity has seen growing importance both in developing and developed countries in recent years. In this new area of study, ethnic entrepreneurship has been labelled as the ‘engine of growth’ as all entrepreneurs have brought an enormous positive contribution to both economic and social development where this has happened. The importance of entrepreneurship to any nation's economic growth can be evidenced by the various support mechanism and policy initiatives by various governments of nations. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the entrepreneurial lived experience of black African entrepreneurs in the UK. Reviewing previous literature on entrepreneurship, particularly from the ethnic entrepreneurship perspective, there are indications that the research within the ethnic entrepreneurship discipline is underdeveloped. Thus, the research chosen topic for this study falls within the focus of entrepreneurial opportunity within ethnic enclaves. These same pieces of literature suggest that the black African entrepreneurship concept has not been prominent in the UK and has not been adequately investigated. The objectives of this research, therefore, are firstly to critically review the relevant literature relating to black African entrepreneurialism, secondly, to explore the factors influencing entrepreneurial drives among black African entrepreneurs, the impact of labour market opportunity, the available institutional support system, and how they identify entrepreneurial opportunity in the UK with a focus on gaining a deeper understanding of their entrepreneurial lived experience to develop a conceptual framework.