18448: Discovering the Nuances of Ecosystems in Emerging Economies in Africa the Influence of Digital Tech

Sunday, July 27, 2025

08:00 - 10:00 CEST (GMT+2)

Location: Bella Center: Hall B- B6-m5

Session Type: PDW (workshop)
Orientation: International,Research,Diversity
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/Edmg8A

Discussant(s)

CJ

Carla D. Jones

Sam Houston State University, United States
SK

Sarah Kimakwa

California State University-Chico, United States
JA

John Aiyede

University of Louisville, United States
LW

Lucy Simani Wamalwa

KCA University, Kenya
HN

Hermann Ndofor

Indiana University, United States
BH

Benson Honig

McMaster University, Canada, Canada
MM

Motshedisi Mathibe

University of Pretoria

Entrepreneurs serve as the lifeline for continued development of emerging economies. There exist many studies on entrepreneurs across the globe, yet the context of entrepreneurs in Africa have not received much attention. The unique context of Africa presents the youngest and fastest growing population across the globe (United Nations Population Fund – www.un.org). The nuances of the emerging countries in Africa present unique characteristics for entrepreneurs. Our goal is to explore the environments, ecosystems, which exist for micro-entrepreneurs in emerging countries, specifically on the continent of Africa. Microentrepreneurs and their enterprises are of particular interest because microenterprises represent the key drivers of economic growth, poverty alleviation and employment (Soluk, Kammerlander, & Darwin, 2021). African countries are even more dependent on microenterprises and the informal economy for entrepreneurial activity and economic growth (Ramdani, Raja, & Kayumova, 2022). In Africa, the informal economy contributes 89% of employment (Nguimkeu & Okou, 2021).