The role of business incubation in the development of SMEs in Zimbabwe.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to look into the function of business incubators in promoting the growth and development of SMEs in Zimbabwe. The development of business was introduced in Zimbabwe as a borrowed concept that came from the developed countries such as India, USA, China, Russia and Brazil. In Zimbabwe there is an increase in the number of SMEs though studies have indicated that 85% of these SMEs are not productive because they are born today and they die tomorrow. In recent years the government of Zimbabwe not only did it import the idea, it also initiated through various government institutions as well as supporting the private sector that had taken a leading role in pursuing the incubation concept. This was done in an effort to help ailing small businesses and assist them as the pursue growth and survival. In this study the mixed research was adopted. Data was collected using both structured questionnaires and interview guides and the data was analyzed using graphs and content analysis. The results obtained in this study show that SMEs that were supported by business incubators were more productive.