It is well-documented in literature that one major challenge facing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is resource constraints. This affects SMEs’ potential for innovation, as innovation is resource-intensive. To survive the competition, it is expedient that SMEs find more creative and innovative ways to operate. This present study sought to ascertain how SMEs could adopt a bricolage strategy to achieve a competitive advantage. The study also sought to determine the mediating role of new product creativity in this relationship, which formed a key contribution. Data was gathered from 334 SMEs using a simple random sampling technique. The data was analyzed using the covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) approach in Amos (v.23). Various validity and reliability tests were run before testing the significance of the various hypotheses of the study. It was concluded that bricolage had a direct positive effect on SMEs’ competitive advantage. Bricolage further had a direct positive impact on new product creativity, whiles new product creativity had a direct positive effect on SMEs’ competitive advantage. It was also realized that creativity had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between bricolage and SMEs’ competitive advantage. Although this study did not directly assess the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on business operations, the data for the study was gathered during the pandemic period, as such, the results of this present study could offer some practical clues on how firms could achieve competitive advantage during the outbreak of pandemics.

Social and political instability threatens the economic and social development of nations. Political persecution is therefore characterized by socio-political instability as a barrier to development that creates economic difficulties, limited public and private investments and hinders national development. This article describes political persecution and economic development through a close examination of the African ministry which covers key issues such as welfare and drug trafficking. We use various measures to measure political violence and economic development, and we use the crisis management strategies of Driscoll and Kraay and a comprehensive time-based approach to measure (GMM) for a sample of Sub Saharan African countries in the period 2000-2014. In the example of political persecution, we find that the combination of individual achievement, education, capture, and health has a negative impact on politics, but GINI, unemployment, drugs and homeless people that have a positive impact on violence. In the example of the economy, political violence, armed with bribery and corruption, has a negative impact on economic development, but population, security, employment, political participation, housing have a negative impact on production and on economic progress. Positive impact on economic development. The findings underscore the importance of implementing social policies and guidelines against political violence to increase economic growth and development, productivity, political participation and human security in the regions of Africa.

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