Author(s)

Simon Ofori Ametepey, Emmanuel Yaw Frempong Jnr, John Edward Cobbina

Department of Building Technology, Koforidua Technical University, Koforidua, Ghana.

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.

Barriers, Business Growth, Business Survival, Developing Countries, Small and Medium Scale Enterprise, SME

Ametepey, S. , Jnr, E. and Cobbina, J. (2022) Barriers to the Growth of Small and Medium Scale Construction Enterprises in Ghana. Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 12, 38-55. doi: 10.4236/ojce.2022.121004.