The State of Enterprises in West Africa: Psychological, Managerial and Environmental Perspectives

This chapter evaluates the outcome of several studies undertaken in selected countries in West Africa on international entrepreneurship. Published works on venture creation and start-ups have been on the front burner for several decades on the best tactics in dealing with concerns. Entrepreneurial issues differ from one continent to another; however, there seems to be a common thread that weaves the fabric of the various continents including Africa. Studies on international entrepreneurship published between 2003 and 2019 were reviewed, and we concluded that entrepreneurship begins from small-scale businesses in West African societies and migrates into medium to large scales. Though several motives can be attributed to the reasons why people engage in entrepreneurship in West Africa, the success rate largely depends on one’s self, family as well as government policies. The pivot of the research can be classified into psychological, management and environmental factors. We propose a model to capture the findings of the studies reviewed. Implications from this study are discussed for practice and future research.