Despite the fact that both the public and the private sector have invested a lot of money in the training of business entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe, statistics indicate that out of 500 000 informal and small scale businesses in 1991, only 277 000 had remained operating by 1998. Many more are on the verge of collapse.

The solution to the worsening unemployment levels facing Zimbabwe lies in the establishment of small-scale business. This was also noted at the International Conference on Adult Learning at Hamburg (14 – 18 July, 1997). The conference agreed that governments alone cannot meet the economic challenges of the twenty first century.

The government of Zimbabwe responded to the challenges of unemployment and economic doldrums by encouraging  people to form cooperatives and start indigenous businesses. It provided start up capital under special lending programmes and facilitated literacy classes to enable viable running of business. The Small Enterprise Development Corporation (SEDCO) advanced $152.6 million to small and medium scale industries in the 1996/7 financial year alone, but ignored other variables necessary to run viable projects.

The variables so omitted included training issues such as how to start a business, training for growth and business development advisory services. Finance availability alone does not guarantee business success. Entrepreneurs have to be innovative in finding ways of improving effectiveness and efficiency of the business. Training is necessary in equipping entrepreneurs with functional literacy. There is direct correlation between education and economic growth. One of the reasons for failure of many development schemes like agricultural production and cooperatives is lack of functional literacy. The Indian government through the National Adult Education Programme (NAEP) put equal emphasis on functional literacy and social awareness.

The National policy of education further envisaged that functional literacy was the means for reducing economic, social and gender disparities.This gave birth to women business projects such as Women in Business – Zimbabwe (WIBZ) to enable women take control of their lives. The organization is non-governmental and serves as a forum and voice on local and international affairs of women entrepreneurs. It provides counseling, training and disseminates relevant information on a wide range of topics affecting business. The organization is a lobby group on behalf of its members to government, financial institutions, private sector and other relevant bodies.

Entrepreneurs need continuous training to cope with technological changes and new trends. With the ever accelerating speed of change in both knowledge and technology, it is clear that adults have a choice: they either continue to learn throughout their lives, or  allow  their skills and knowledge to quickly slide into obsolescence. The same principle applies to companies: those who fail to continually teach and train employees quickly slide into obsolescence.

Adult learning programmes are effective when principles of adult learning are taken into consideration. It is the aforementioned training scenario that gave birth to EMPRETEC SEDCO, Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) among others who address business issues and develop entrepreneurship culture in Zimbabwe through training, information dissemination, business advisory services and acting as agents of change for Small to Medium scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs).

Training programs must emphasize the learner's experience, identity, analysis and generalization of the data examined. The problem solving instructional method, Mutual Inquiry, Information Sharing and Dialogue approaches must be used in the learning /training process. Individuals must understand, read, write, follow instructions, use written language to access knowledge and be allowed  to employ symbolically – mediated skills of abstraction and reasoning in structuring and solving problems they face everyday in their lives.

Studies carried out  by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Uganda observed that entrepreneurs who participate in business training programmes experience an upward trend in the success of their businesses. The skills necessary for business success include planning, marketing, site analysis, advertising, public relations, pricing, finance management, tax and insurance knowledge, accessing loans and training.

By K.C. Mbetu, Executive Dean-Faculty of Commerce, and S. Magida, Lecturer- Department of Adult Education

Midlands State University