ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the role of social capital among young entrepreneurs in mobilising various resources to support their businesses in the informal economy in Lusaka's Mtendere and New Soweto markets. It explains the use of social capital to access business resources such as information, finance, skills, and customers, which young entrepreneurs have identified as key aspects of starting and running a business. In Zambia, entrepreneurship has become important for integrating young people into the labour market. The chapter argues that while social capital helps young entrepreneurs achieve certain ends in pursuit of business, it cannot be solely relied on as a basis for entrepreneurship development among the country's youth. It focuses on the qualitative data collected, which consisted of face-to-face in-depth interviews with 10 specially selected young entrepreneurs operating a range of businesses five in each of the selected markets. The chapter demonstrates the use of social capital in mobilising various resources among young business entrepreneurs in Lusaka's informal economy.
