TITLE:
Barriers to the Growth of Small and Medium Scale Construction Enterprises in Ghana
AUTHORS:
Simon Ofori Ametepey, Emmanuel Yaw Frempong Jnr, John Edward Cobbina
KEYWORDS:
Barriers, Business Growth, Business Survival, Developing Countries, Small and Medium Scale Enterprise, SME
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Civil Engineering,
Vol.12 No.1,
January
28,
2022
ABSTRACT: The construction
industry in most developing economies is dominated heavily by small and medium
scale enterprises. These construction enterprises need to thrive in an
extremely competitive business environment. Conversely, most of these small and
medium scale construction enterprises (SMSCE) are fraught with a plethora of
barriers that inhibit and threaten their growth and survival. This research
sought to evaluate the critical barriers that affect the growth of SMSCEs in
the Ghanaian Construction Industry. The quantitative research method was
adopted using a structured questionnaire with variables that were identified
through a comprehensive literature review. The survey questionnaire was
administered to 400 respondents comprising 250 SMSCEs, 100 Local Authority
Engineers, and 50 Consultants to elicit data based on the identified variables.
The major findings established by the study as barriers to the growth of SMSCEs
in Ghana are largely structured as financial/fiscal barriers, business
development barriers, technical/technological barriers, corruption barriers,
knowledge management barriers, project acquisition barriers. A guiding
framework should be developed based on the barriers identified to aid the
growth and survival of SMSCEs in Ghana.