This research aims to identify a series of possible obstacles to the entrepreneurship of young Congolese graduates from their entrepreneurial paths. For this type of study, it was necessary to seek information from the subjects concerned by the in-depth interview method. Thus, we have chosen to use the qualitative method and to conduct semi-structured interviews with thirteen young graduates with varied entrepreneurial backgrounds, in order to understand the series of obstacles when setting up their businesses. The results show that the path to entrepreneurship for young Congolese graduates is strewn with obstacles. They face a series of obstacles (individual, environmental and project-related) before starting a business, giving up or getting stuck in their creative projects. Their entrepreneurial journeys are marked by an accumulation of obstacles (from 4 to 9 types of obstacles cited in this study). The nature of these obstacles differs according to the individual, the environment and the entrepreneurial projects. However, certain obstacles, such as: the lack of financial capital, the difficult access to financing, to credit and the lack of professional experience, are specific to this category of entrepreneurs, namely young graduates. The originality of this study is based on the field analyzed, namely the developing countries, specifically the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country less studied on the entrepreneurial level, and on its operational aim the development of entrepreneurship and the realization of entrepreneurial projects of young Congolese graduates.

This research aims to study the obstacles encountered by young Congolese graduates in setting up their businesses. Identifying these barriers provides useful knowledge to help young people succeed in their entrepreneurial activities and projects. To this end, we examine a sample of 588 young Congolese graduates of higher and university education located in the city of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A research approach made up of quantitative techniques, specifically the questionnaire survey, made it possible to collect the data necessary to understand the obstacles to business creation by young Congolese graduates. We opted for exploratory research. Three groups of major obstacles are mentioned in this research: the individual obstacles to business creation among young people, the obstacles related to the economic, institutional and regulatory, cultural, social and educational environment for the creation of a business companies and finally, the obstacles linked to the business creation project. The results of the study reveal that young people perceive difficult access to financing, difficult access to credit, lack of professional experience, absence or insufficient support and accompaniment, lack of personal funds, insufficient education and training programs, difficulties in preparing the business plan, lack of entrepreneurial culture, a policy of guidance and information, and skills and knowledge in entrepreneurship as the main obstacles to starting a business. This study ends with recommendations on how to improve youth entrepreneurship in the DRC.