Training and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Ghana

Last registered on November 15, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Training and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Ghana
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014563
Initial registration date
November 06, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
November 15, 2024, 1:36 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Ritam Chaurey
Affiliation
Johns Hopkins SAIS
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ama Baafra Abeberese
PI Affiliation
Wellesley College
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PI Name
Patrick Asuming
PI Affiliation
University of Ghana Business School
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-12-01
End date
2026-06-01
Keywords
Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This project aims to answer the question of whether an accelerator business training program can catalyze entrepreneurship in Ghana. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess the effects of an accelerator business training program provided by the Innovation and Incubation Hub, a business incubator at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS). University students will submit a business plan that will be assessed for feasibility. Applicants with feasible business plans will be randomly allocated to treatment and control groups. The training program will run for six months and contains modules on starting and running a business: developing a business idea and proposal, obtaining financing, financial management, and marketing strategies, as well as soft skills such as entrepreneurial mindsets, resilience, and entrepreneurial etiquette. After the training program, we will focus on the effects of the program on entrepreneurial traits and mindset, whether the applicant started the business, how long it took to start the business, attempts to secure funding for the business, sources of and amounts of funding secured, the main product or service offered by the business, and sales, costs, profitability and productivity of the business. We will also examine whether there is treatment effect heterogeneity by baseline characteristics. Because our sample includes university students from business schools in Ghana - UGBS, GIMPA Business School, and the University for Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) - we will also shed light on the spillover effects of the program.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Abeberese, Ama Baafra, Patrick Asuming and Ritam Chaurey. 2024. "Training and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Ghana." AEA RCT Registry. November 15. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14563-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
We will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effects of a training program offered via the Innovation and Incubation Hub (henceforth “the Hub”), a business incubator based at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS).

The program will accept applications from students in the major business schools in Ghana who are interested in starting a business: UGBS, GIMPA Business School, and the University for Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). The call for applications will be sent out to these business schools via email, posters on campuses and announcements in classrooms. The business schools are an appropriate sampling frame for the project because, by virtue of their training, we anticipate that these students are more likely to be entrepreneurial. Many state-funded incubators are affiliated with universities as these are considered ideal breeding grounds for high-growth entrepreneurs.

The training program for the treatment group will run for six months. It will contain the following elements for starting and running a business: developing a business idea and proposal, obtaining financing, financial management, and marketing strategies. The content of the training programs will be developed in conjunction with the Hub. The training programs will be provided via group sessions that will take place once a week. The programs will be delivered by the staff at the Hub. The programs will also feature guest speakers from the business community in Ghana. The sessions will include lectures, presentations, discussions and individual and group exercises. In addition, there will be sessions led by successful young entrepreneurs who will share their experiences.
Intervention Start Date
2025-03-01
Intervention End Date
2025-09-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
entrepreneurial mindset and traits, business knowledge, entrepreneurial outcomes (whether the business was started, business performance -- including inputs and outputs)
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effects of a training program offered via the Innovation and Incubation Hub (henceforth “the Hub”), a business incubator based at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS). The program will accept applications from students in the major business schools in Ghana who are interested in starting a business: UGBS, GIMPA Business School, and the University for Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). The call for applications will be sent out to these business schools via email, posters on campuses and announcements in classrooms.

Applicants will submit a business plan that will be assessed for feasibility. Applicants with feasible business plans will be selected for the RCT. These selected applicants will form the sample for the RCT. The goal is to have a sample of about 300 participants. The selected applicants will be randomized into two groups. About half of the sample will be in the treatment group and the remainder will be assigned to the control group.

The treatment group will participate in the training program intervention which will run for 6 months. After the training program, the following short-term and long-term outcomes will be compared for the treatment and control groups to determine the impact of the program: whether the applicant started the business, how long it took to start the business, attempts to secure funding for the business, sources of and amounts of funding secured, the main product or service offered by the business, and sales, costs, profitability and productivity of the business. We will also examine whether there are heterogeneous treatment effects by baseline characteristics. In addition to the main outcomes described, before the training program, we will collect baseline data including data on the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, as well as social network links between students to assess spillover effects.

Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done in the office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Randomization will be done at the student level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
300 students.
Sample size: planned number of observations
300 students.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
150 treated students, 150 control students.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Ghana, Office of Research, Innovation and Development
IRB Approval Date
2024-08-16
IRB Approval Number
ECH 336 23-24
Analysis Plan