Author(s): Timothy Kwabla Zilevu,Michael Kwame Mickson,Linda Ethel Naa Akaibi Narh, Rockson Opare Boateng, Andrews Ayiku, Vasmine Mercy Yehowa Adom Asamoah Gyan
Purpose – This study examined how artificial intelligence (AI) adoption shapes entrepreneurial intention (EI) among university students in Ghana. Specifically, it tested whether entrepreneurial competency mediates the AI adoption-EI relationship and whether AI literacy moderates the AI adoption-competency path within a moderated mediation framework Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative cross-sectional survey was administered to 400 students from nine universities spanning the public, private, and technical university sectors in Ghana. All constructs were measured using validated Likert-scale instruments. Ordinary least squares regression, the Sobel test, and moderated mediation analysis were used to test five hypotheses, with perceived university support entered as a control variable. Findings – AI adoption positively and significantly predicted entrepreneurial competency (beta = 0.344, p < 0.001), which was in turn the strongest predictor of EI (beta = 0.461, p < 0.001). Entrepreneurial competency partially mediated the AI adoption-EI relationship, transmitting 54.8% of the total effect (indirect beta = 0.177, Sobel z = 6.427, p < 0.001). AI literacy did not moderate the AI adoption-competency path (beta = 0.007, p = 0.871) but exerted a significant independent main effect on competency. H4 and H5 were not supported. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design limits causal inference, and the sample is weighted toward younger undergraduates. A full confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS or R lavaan is recommended for replication. Future research should examine the dual-pathway AI-EI model in infrastructure-constrained settings. Practical implications – Universities should embed AI tools directly into entrepreneurship curricula rather than treating them as peripheral resources. Investment in AI literacy instruction and AI tool provision should occur in parallel, as both independently build entrepreneurial competencies. Originality/value – This is among the first empirical studies to test a moderated mediation model of AI adoption and entrepreneurial intention in sub-Saharan Africa. The study establishes entrepreneurial competency as the primary mechanism through which AI adoption reaches EI in the Ghanaian university context and provides a context-specific model for theory development in developing economies.