DefinePK

Abstract

This study was undertaken to investigate socio-cultural barriers to entrepreneurship among young graduates in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is based on a field survey carried out in Kinshasa among 588 young Congolese graduates of higher and university education, aged 15 to 35 years. The results reveal that the lack of valuation of entrepreneurship in the community, the absence of entrepreneurial culture and negative societal attitude to youth entrepreneurship, witchcraft and magico-religious practices and the lack of family support and friends are important socio-cultural barriers in the DRC. Entrepreneurship is not valued in the DRC. It is considered a secondary activity to a main job. Society finds it less important to start one's own business or be self-employed, and so discourages young people from doing so. The fight against these socio-cultural obstacles can help encourage the realization of entrepreneurial projects through the creation of businesses by young Congolese graduates. The originality of this study is based on the field analyzed, namely the developing countries, specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country less studied on the entrepreneurial level, and on its operational aim the development of entrepreneurship and the realization of entrepreneurial projects of young Congolese entrepreneurs.
 Keywords: Youth entrepreneurship, Socio-Cultural Barriers to Entrepreneurship, Young Congolese Graduates, Business Creation, DRC.