Entrepreneurial intention: the influence of experiential antecedents and mediating role of perceived entrepreneurial opportunity

Entrepreneurship education, role models, and family exposure are widely recognized as sources of entrepreneurial intention (EI), yet the cognitive pathway through which experience becomes intention requires further empirical attention. This study examines perceived entrepreneurial opportunity (PEO) as a mediating mechanism linking experiential antecedents to EI in a developing economy context. Data from 126 respondents were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) in SmartPLS. Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial role models showed significant positive direct effects on EI. Entrepreneurial family exposure produced a competitive mediation pattern, with a significant negative direct effect on EI and a positive indirect effect through PEO, resulting in a small positive total effect. PEO emerged as the most important driver of EI while recording the lowest IPMA performance score, indicating a strategic gap for universities and entrepreneurship ecosystem actors. The study contributes by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Entrepreneurial Event Theory through PEO as a cognitive bridge, testing experiential antecedents of EI in a Sub-Saharan African necessity-driven context, and translating structural findings into educational priorities through IPMA.