Seventeenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The desire for migration is borne out of the pursuit of economic sustainability and improved livelihood. The collection of available migration studies has shown a great deal of accounts of the push factors for migration. However, there is still a dearth of studies on the account of migrant entrepreneurs lived experiences, especially in post-COVID-19. The idea that migrant entrepreneurs contribute to the employment creation of host countries justifies a need to interrogate their lived experiences post-COVID-19. The study attempts to explore the lived experiences of migrant entrepreneurs and the question of enterprise sustainability in post-COVID-19. A total of 20 purposively recruited migrant entrepreneurs of Nigerian extraction were interviewed. The inclusion criteria include migrant entrepreneurs with no less than 10 years of non-interruptive entrepreneurial experience as migrants in South Africa. The exclusion criteria include unregistered enterprises. The NVivo (v.12) qualitative tool was employed for the identification of themes and sub-themes, and the Content Analytical tool was used to analyze the various themes. The motivating factors for migration for many entrepreneurs are the need for business expansion, the hostile economy of the host country, availability of infrastructure and amenities for business expansion. The lived experiences and challenges include hostility, xenophobia, unease access to loans, exclusion, and cultural and communication barriers. The post-COVID-19 experience includes constraints to palliative measures and other governmental supports for enterprise sustainability. The study concludes the need for appropriate policy for the integration of migrant entrepreneurs who directly contribute to the economic growth of the host country.