Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: Participants’ views of a professional development program’s impact on their business ventures five years later

We assessed the impact of Oklahoma State University’s 2018 MWFI on its participants, i.e., Fellows, approximately five years after they returned home. Twenty-five Fellows from 20 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations participated in a six-weeks-long training program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Our follow-up study sought to determine the Fellows’ satisfaction regarding the training, the primary benefits and achievements attributed to it, and the training-related developments of the Fellows’ businesses they selected to share. We collected quantitative and qualitative data to answer three questions, including a narrated photovoice request. Most Fellows indicated that they were satisfied with the training and would not have been equipped to improve their businesses without its contributions to their development. As such, results were supported conceptually by human capital theory. More planning by the funder who places Fellows and by the Institute’s providers may better address some Fellows’ specific learning needs and interests not fully met. Additional longitudinal studies, including economic analyses, are warranted.