Essential Resources Accessed by African Immigrant Entrepreneurs to Start-Up Businesses in South Africa

Entrepreneurship is a crucial element of economic growth and development, and immigrant entrepreneurs make a substantial contribution to the economy of the host country. Nevertheless, African immigrant entrepreneurs often face uncommon obstacles in accessing essential resources to establish and grow their businesses. Regardless of the increasing study on immigrant entrepreneurship, there is a need for more research that examines the distinct obstacles and experiences of African immigrant entrepreneurs in accessing resources to establish and develop their businesses in South Africa. This research aims to explore the essential resources that African immigrant entrepreneurs’ access to venture into businesses in South Africa. Particularly, the research seeks to investigate the financial, physical, information, and human resources that they access. The research used a qualitative research methodology, employing semi-structured interviews with 12 African immigrant entrepreneurs (owners/managers) operating in various sectors in South Africa. The data was analysed utilising content analysis, in which chunks of related data were connected to existing themes. The results showed that African immigrant entrepreneurs in South Africa encounter obstacles in accessing essential resources, involving financial capital, physical resources, information capital and human capital. Nonetheless, African immigrant entrepreneurs use several approaches to overcome these obstacles, such as depending on personal savings, networks, and family support. The research contributes to the current literature on immigrant entrepreneurship by highlighting the particular obstacles and experiences of African immigrant entrepreneurs in South Africa. The results have implications for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers seeking to promote and support immigrant entrepreneurship in this area.