Harnessing Entrepreneurship to Combat Unemployment in Zambia: A Case of Matero Township

This study explored entrepreneurship as a strategy to reduce youth unemployment in Matero Township, Zambia, using a mixed-methods approach with a pragmatist paradigm and concurrent triangulation design. Data was collected from 200 youths via questionnaires and 20 stakeholders through interviews. Quantitative results showed that manufacturing and agribusiness created more jobs per entrepreneur than trading and services, with job creation significantly influenced by the type of activity (F(3, 196) = 4.37, p = 0.005). Financial constraints (B = –0.41, p = 0.001) and regulatory barriers (B = –0.28, p = 0.012) were major obstacles, explaining 28.9% of the variance in job creation. Longer unemployment duration was linked to higher entrepreneurship engagement (χ2(2) = 9.12, p = 0.010; B = 0.58, p = 0.008). Qualitative findings confirmed that most youth pursued entrepreneurship out of necessity, though some shifted to opportunity-driven ventures. The study concluded that youth entrepreneurship can reduce unemployment if access to finance, regulatory reforms, and capacity-building are prioritized.