Education and Entrepreneurship in Uganda: A Mixed Methods Exploration

Education plays a crucial role in fostering entrepreneurship, particularly in resource-limited settings such as Uganda where access to formal education is often constrained by economic and social factors. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining qualitative interviews with structured questionnaires to gather data from a diverse sample of Ugandan entrepreneurs and students in business education programmes. Quantitative analysis focused on survey responses to measure entrepreneurial intentions and scale factors, while thematic content analysis of interview transcripts explored deeper insights into the educational experiences and perceptions of participants. The quantitative findings revealed that individuals with formal business education were significantly more likely (p < 0.05) to have initiated at least one business venture compared to those without such education. Qualitative data highlighted themes around mentorship, networking opportunities, and financial literacy as key enablers of entrepreneurial success. This study underscores the importance of integrating entrepreneurship education into formal curricula and emphasizes the need for supportive environments that facilitate practical application of theoretical knowledge. Educational institutions should integrate more entrepreneurship modules into their business programmes, while policymakers could consider incentives or partnerships to enhance access to mentorship and networking resources for aspiring entrepreneurs. Uganda, Entrepreneurship, Education, Mixed Methods Study