We Are A Nation That Is Over-Certified But Under-Skilled ~ Esther Armah

Esteemed journalist and media personality Esther Armah has shared powerful insights into African entrepreneurship, drawing from her teaching experience in Adabraka, Accra.

While teaching journalism in Ghana, Armah encountered a recurring mindset among her students: a tendency to overlook the informal traders operating just outside their classroom. These traders, mostly women, were often perceived as unimportant or lacking in formal business credibility.

To challenge this perception, Armah assigned her students a task to go outside, speak with the traders, and document their stories. The results were eye-opening.

“They had phenomenal histories,” Armah said. “They knew the area inside out, back to front. Their political knowledge of the history of Adabraka was extraordinary.

According to Esther Armah, the assignment revealed that these individuals were more than traders, they were experienced entrepreneurs with deep community knowledge and business acumen acquired through lived experience rather than formal education.

“We are a nation that is over-certified but under-skilled,” she stated. 

Armah emphasized the danger of undervaluing individuals who do not possess formal qualifications, pointing out that the education system often trains people to dismiss non-certified expertise.

Her reflections have reignited conversations around how entrepreneurship is perceived across Africa, particularly the need to recognize and respect the informal sector as a key pillar of the continent’s economy. Her personal experience is a key insight that entrepreneurship in Africa isn’t confined to boardrooms, pitch decks or investors meetings. It lives in the everyday hustle. In market women, street vendors, mechanics, tailors, hairdressers, people who make things work with what they have, where they are.

“You’ve been trained to think that because they’re not certified like you, you don’t have to listen to anything they say,” she said. “But their skills, earned from experience, survival, and consistency mean they often know more than you do.”

This experience reinforces ongoing efforts to broaden the definition of entrepreneurship beyond traditional frameworks, and to celebrate the resilience and contributions of informal business owners who drive economic activity in African communities every day. Because entrepreneurship in Africa is not just about starting a business, it’s about building a life, supporting a community and rewriting a legacy.

At a time when many African nations are exploring strategies to support small businesses and promote inclusive economic growth, Esther Armah’s insights present a compelling case for bridging the gap between formal education and informal enterprise.