Rural Entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe: Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Chegutu

Abstract

According to Zimbabwe 2022 population and housing Census report, 61.4 % of the Zimbabwe population reside in the rural areas. This disproportion shows how important rural areas are for Zimbabwe’s future development. Entrepreneurship has become important in rural development however rural entrepreneurship in Chegutu, Zimbabwe, faces a complex interplay of challenges and opportunities that significantly impact its development. Previous research has left contextual gaps that are important for effective policy and strategy formulation. This research aims to determine the lived experiences of rural entrepreneurs in Chegutu, identifying the entrepreneurial opportunities available to them and the challenges that they experience so as to improve strategy and policy. The Resource Based View (RBV) and the Place-based theory guided and informed the research in identifying the key opportunities and unveiling the challenges that they encounter in the course of business. In order to gain a deep understanding of the experiences the mixed methods approach was used with three different wards to identify the challenges and opportunities available to rural entrepreneurs. The researcher administered 69 questionnaires and 11 interviews to entrepreneurs with at least two years’ experience to collect data. The data was presented and analysed through descriptive statistic and thematic approach. Results show that the region's entrepreneurs encounter barriers such as inadequate funding, lack of skills, and insufficient infrastructure, which hinder their ability to establish and grow businesses. However, there are also notable opportunities, particularly in sectors like horticulture, mining and grocery shops, which can be leveraged for economic growth by villagers in Chegutu rural district. This was attributed to the availability of huge farms, minerals and manpower. Despite the challenges, the potential for rural entrepreneurship in Chegutu remains significant, particularly if stakeholders can address the barriers effectively. However, without substantial systemic changes, the growth of rural entrepreneurship may remain stunted, limiting overall economic development in the region.