An analysis of graduate entrepreneurs in Tanzania; motives, opportunities and challenges: the case of Dar es Salaam region.

The study examined the motives, opportunities and challenges facing higher learning education graduates who venture into entrepreneurship after college or university. The specific objectives include; to assess the motives lead graduates to become entrepreneurs, to investigate the challenges facing graduates in entrepreneurship and to examine the influence of current social-economic environment to graduate entrepreneurs. The study used case study design where by Kinondoni Dar es Salaam was used and involved a sample size of 100 respondents. Both Sample random and purposeful sampling strategies were used to select respondents while data collection was done through questionnaires, interviews and documentary reviews. Data analysis was done through the use of SPSS 20 version as well as Microsoft Excel 2007. The study revealed that high learning graduates are interested on becoming entrepreneur after complete their studies. The motive forces to become entrepreneur includes, family background, education, personal desire/career aspirations, lack of formal employment and desire to earn more income to sustain living. Entrepreneur face challenges like poor government support in terms of policies, lack of skills to start business, access to finance or capital and others; also social-cultural and political environment affect the performance of graduate entrepreneurship such as attitude, culture, rules, procedures and regulations put in place. The study recommends that graduate entrepreneurs should be encouraged to attend entrepreneurial competitions and join workshops on entrepreneurship. They could get more information and resources and add to their cognition of the environment.