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Synthesis of small and medium enterprise research in Ghana

Author

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  • Obi Berko Obeng Damoah

    (University of Ghana Business School)

  • Augustine Awuah Peprah

    (University of Professional Studies)

Abstract

It is argued that the present pace of small and medium enterprises (SME) research on Africa remains slow, despite being one of the growing fields. Consequently, there have been calls to advance the field from the perspective of Africa. This study partly responds to the call and aims to systematically review and organize the different SME research contributions from Ghana to help us appreciate and understand how research on SMEs in Ghana has advanced over the years. Combining major online databases such as Web of Science, Business Source Complete (EBSCO), ABI/INFORM, and Scopus databases, this paper reviews and analyzes 231 SME studies between 2000 and 2018. The paper structures SME research on Ghana into salient themes to offer the current state of knowledge and, consequently, aids scholars to scope the field and discover value-adding avenues to advance our understanding about SME research in the context of Ghana. Based on the findings, implications on theory, policy, and practice are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Obi Berko Obeng Damoah & Augustine Awuah Peprah, 2021. "Synthesis of small and medium enterprise research in Ghana," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 11(1), pages 451-468, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jglont:v:11:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s40497-021-00286-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s40497-021-00286-x
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