MODERATING EFFECT OF PERCEIVED ACCESS TO FINANCE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION

Abstract

In spite of the several effort of Nigerian government to ensure that students now
engage in entrepreneurship activities so as to reduce the level of unemployment
among graduates, there is still lack of entrepreneurial intention among students.
This study examines the moderating effect of perceived access to finance on the
relationship between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial intention
among undergraduate students of ABU Business School of Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria. A cross-sectional survey design was employed in the study.
Primary data were collected through self-administered questionnaire distributed
to 303 students across all departments in ABU Business School using
proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Data was analysed using
Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with the aid of PLS version 3.0. The result
of the analysis revealed that entrepreneurship education is positively and
significantly relate to entrepreneurial intention. The result father revealed that
perceived access to finance significantly and positively moderate the relationship
between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial intention. The study
recommends that management of ABU business school, government, NGOs and
other stakeholders should develop policies and programmes that will focus on
entrepreneurship education and orientation of how to get easy access to financial
resources in order to encourage and motivate students to venture into
entrepreneurship.