Platforms in Sub-Saharan Africa: startup models and the role of business incubation

David‐West, Olayinka; Umukoro, Immanuel Ovemeso; Onuoha, Raymond Okwudiri

doi:10.1108/jic-12-2016-0134

Cited by 32 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The rationale of incubation is premised on the vital contribution of business start-ups to economic growth and social contribution through job creation, and increased rates of infant business mortality (Xu, 2009). Incubation of start-up firms is regarded as one of the strongest strategy in supporting business growth in many economies today (David-West et. al., 2018;Xu, 2009).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The incubation facilities protect business start-up from harsh realities of operating costs and competition in the market to increase their survival rates (Allen & McCluskey, 1991;David-West, Umukoro & Onuoha, 2018;Harper-Anderson& Lewis, 2018;Xu, 2009). Although there is a strong belief in incubation as a strategy to the growth of business start-ups, the failure rates are still alarming; about half fail in the first five years (Allen & McCluskey, 1991).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, its value depends on how uniquely the support is dispensed to the business start-ups (David-West, Umukoro & Onuoha, 2018). Some of the factors considered for admission into the lab include; having a good business idea cable of being scaled, availability of financial records, a team managing the business, and robust business proposal (Wanklin, 2002;David-West, Umukoro & Onuoha, 2018). However, entry barriers do exist which sometimes limit potential businesses from getting incubated.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…This study is based on Barney's (1991) resource-based view theory (RBV) which explains how resources aid in the growth of business start-ups (David-West et. al., 2018;Nason & Wiklund, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Anecdotal Evidence of the Role of Incubation in the Growth of Business Start-Ups in Uganda

Tibaingana¹

2019

IBR

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Although incubation is a well-known and accepted strategy for the growth of business start-ups in Uganda, little is known about its extent. What is known is that the majority of the start-ups fail in less than one year. This study explored the role of incubators on the growth of business start-ups in Uganda. The study interviewed managers of the incubation services and business starts-ups on how they received this support. The study is qualitative and respondents were purposively selected. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to capture the perceptions of the services and how the support enabled the enterprises to grow. The findings show that various services were offered to support the growth of business start-ups. The services ranged from the creation of networks to other business development services such as mentorship, coaching, and marketing. The perceptions of the owners of business start-ups were somewhat mixed because while the majority viewed the support as crucial in the growth of their start-ups, a few others said they did not. Thus, a few owners of business start-up viewed incubators as playing a limited role. The findings are pertinent for policy formulation on the role of business start-ups and for streamlining incubation support processes in emerging economies.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Anecdotal Evidence of the Role of Incubation in the Growth of Business Start-Ups in Uganda

Tibaingana¹

2019

IBR

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“…The data sources available for a study largely depend on the availability of previous studies on the topic and the research approach employed. The survey and case study research approaches tend to employ primary sources [12,31,32], whereas most reviews tend to rely on secondary sources [10,46].…”

Section: Data Sources Research Methods and Levels Of Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Entrepreneurship in Business Enterprises: A Systematic Review

Anim-Yeboah

Boateng

Kolog

et al. 2020

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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This study systematically reviews extant contemporary literature on digital entrepreneurship in peer-reviewed journal articles over six years (2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018) from six journal databases. It involved a systematic literature review of 101 papers from 53 journals focusing on the publication outlets, yearly trends, themes, and associated theoretical and conceptual approaches, methodologies, sources and geographical distribution of digital entrepreneurship research. The findings suggest that extant literature mostly lacked sound theoretical underpinnings. More work adopting appropriate and proven theoretical approaches is needed. Most of the reviewed papers also focused mainly on issues relating to the technology itself than those relating to the enterprise or the entrepreneur. The capabilities and capacities of enterprises, as well as the strategies in implementing digital technologies and harnessing the opportunities of digitalization, are key issues that have not hitherto received much attention. The study contributes to the understanding of the conceptualization of the digital entrepreneurship phenomenon. Future research should consolidate the understanding of the field, with models and frameworks that recognize digital entrepreneurship as an academic research field in its own right, and also consider the impact of enterprise capabilities and capacities on digital entrepreneurship.

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Affordances of digital platforms insub‐SaharanAfrica: An analytical review

Daramola

Etim

2022

E J Info Sys Dev Countries

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The proliferation of digital platforms in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) has increased job opportunities for informal businesses. However, the technological affordance of digital platforms in SSA has received very little attention in literature review. This paper presents an analytical review of the technological affordances of digital platforms in SSA. We adopted a systematic literature review methodology that entailed gathering evidence from relevant literature and digital platforms in three countries in SSA (South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya). Three research questions focusing on (i) critical issues of discussion on digital platforms in SSA and their distribution; (ii) understanding the technological affordances of digital platforms in SSA; and (iii) assessing the extent to which the technological affordances digital platforms can address the challenges of the informal sector in SSA drove the investigation. The study developed an affordances criteria framework, the first of its kind, to evaluate digital platforms affordances in SSA. Our findings revealed the key topics that have gained researchers' attention so far and digital platforms distribution in SSA. We also found that most digital platforms in SSA currently lack affordances that support multimodal interface and native language contents, limiting their accessibility to persons with minimal digital literacy. Most platforms also lack support for public/private partnerships. The lack of critical affordances that match the profile of the informal sector in SSA makes existing digital platforms incapable of addressing many critical challenges of the informal sector. These challenges include low literacy levels, minimal/lack of government support, lack of electricity or expensive power supply, expensive internet connectivity, and health and safety issues. However, existing digital platforms can reasonably address the absence of social protection, lack of formalization, and poor operational infrastructure. As a contribution, this paper offers a new perspective on the technological affordances of digital platforms in SSA. It also provides insight into the imperatives for designing inclusive and accessible digital platforms for the informal sector in SSA.

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Platforms in Sub-Saharan Africa: startup models and the role of business incubation

Cited by 32 publications

References 37 publications

Anecdotal Evidence of the Role of Incubation in the Growth of Business Start-Ups in Uganda

Anecdotal Evidence of the Role of Incubation in the Growth of Business Start-Ups in Uganda

Digital Entrepreneurship in Business Enterprises: A Systematic Review

Affordances of digital platforms insub‐SaharanAfrica: An analytical review

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