ANN-MLR: a performance comparison in predicting new business creation

The new business registered (numbers) is the number of new limited liability corporations registered in the calendar year. Established in 2006 by the World Bank Group, this indicator can be used to determine factors impacting private sector growth and to measure the level of entrepreneurship in a country. The aim of this research is to use information and communication technology to predict this indicator by comparing the performances of multiple linear regression and artificial neural networks for the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Results shows that neural networks perform better prediction than multiple linear regression and thus can provide accurate prediction if used with significant variables. A decision support system using this model can be implemented and upgrade in order to meet this need for the country.