Why aren’t parents buying into the concept of entrepreneurship?
Anzisha conducted a survey in which we interviewed 246 parents to better understand their attitudes toward entrepreneurship for their own children. Only 24% of the 246 parents who responded to the survey felt sufficiently equipped to support their children to explore entrepreneurship opportunities.
According to the African Leadership Academy’s Chief Programs Officer, Josh Adler, “This is because of decades of societal conscientisation around the idea of basic education and employment, which are systematically designed to favour job-seeking rather than job-creation.”
“It is also the fear of the risk of financial losses that makes parents more likely to encourage their children to go through school and find a job, instead of opting for entrepreneurship as a career,” Adler says.
But what if parents could be convinced that entrepreneurship could result in “job security”?
Would they view entrepreneurship as a viable post-secondary option, thus encouraging their children to consider the entrepreneurial route for their futures?
“Unlocking Africa’s hidden job creators: lessons from 10 years of supporting transitions from education to entrepreneurship in Africa” highlights how a widespread parental attitude shift could be the trojan horse that unlocks entrepreneurship as a career (Lesson #11).
The report offers a guide on how a coordinated movement of key influencers can change the trajectory of entrepreneurship on the continent for young people and see the creation of 1M dignified work opportunities.
Opportunities like the ones created by Anzisha Fellow, Noah Walakira. He was just 14 years old when he founded Namirembe Sweater Makers, a community-based organisation that started off by manufacturing knitted jerseys for schools in Kampala.
Today, Namirembe Sweater Makers employs more than 20 people in his community and has diversified its offering to manufacturing various uniforms for over 45 schools in Uganda, as well as for other organisations such as security companies.
“We encouraged him by listening to his ideas and respecting them. We helped him save to buy a machine and gave him a room to use as his first workstation. We have groomed him on how to handle finances and saving since childhood,” says Namusisi Betty Kabanda, Noah’s mother.
With over 2,500 parents from across Africa having joined Anzisha’s parent community, it is evident that there is a growing interest in gaining practical tools and strategies to prepare their children for the future of work.
So, how, then, can parents effectively equip their children to adapt to and thrive in a rapidly changing world?
Sign-up for the Anzisha Parent’s Course where you will learn more about the entrepreneurship landscape and build a custom action plan to help you and your child to explore it together.
What’s included in the course:
- Downloadable case studies on successful parent/child entrepreneurship relationships
- A certificate of completion
- A free workbook that has the necessary tools to take the lessons learned beyond the course
Parenting and entrepreneurship is an area that Anzisha will continue to invest deeply in the future and we’d love to hear your story!If you would like to share your journey as a parent of a young entrepreneur, connect with us on our Facebook page.
