The Evolution of Urban Entrepreneurship in Zambia

Abstract

Zambia is a former British colony. I gained independence in 1964 and now ranks as one of the middle lower income countries even though it dropped from a ranking at independence. This history has had a bearing on entrepreneurship development in the country. This chapter set out to discuss urban entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in general, and Zambia in particular. The chapter discusses the socio-political factors that have shaped the entrepreneurial landscape of Zambia, and the status quo of entrepreneurial activities in four main urban and large cities in the country. The last section provides an empirical show case of factors influencing the location decision of entrepreneurs in in one of the urban cities, Kitwe. The lessons learned from this chapter are: first, historical events in the urban, institutional environment shape entrepreneurial activities of the present day; second, the four main urban areas in Zambia have developed distinctive types of entrepreneurial activities; and third, besides institutional factors, entrepreneurs make deliberate, personal choices for establishing firms in certain urban locations, primarily driven by the attitude towards avoiding tax, perceived levels of institutional corruption, size of the informal business activities, and the overall satisfaction and comfort of the entrepreneur in having the business in the residential areas where they reside.

Adoption of services and apps on mobile phones by micro-entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Furthermore, 39 respondents (23.07%) had not completed any formal education beyond primary school, 70 respondents (41.42%) indicated secondary school as their highest educational level, and 60 respondents (35.50%) had completed tertiary education of which 11 respondents (6.51%) had a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree. These sociodemographic sample characteristics are similar to those that were reported in previously conducted empirical studies on food vending in Zambia and other SSA countries (Choongo et al, 2020; Eijdenberg, 2016).…”

The Influence of Environmental Pollution and Drought on the Satisfaction With Life of Entrepreneurs in Zambia’s Mining Sector

“…More than half of Zambia’s population live below the poverty line and is younger than 17 years old. Urbanization is high: approximately 43.5% of the population live in the larger urban areas, a comparable percentage with other SSA countries ( Central Intelligence Agency, 2020 , Choongo et al, 2020 ).…”

“…In the case of Zambia, minerals extracted such as copper and cobalt are melted in furnaces in the smelter to transform concentrates in copper cathodes ready for sale. In the past century, Zambia’s mining industry has been the economy’s main driver, and it has considerably contributed to economic and societal development ( Choongo et al, 2020 ). As a heavy industry, mining is among the most polluting (e.g., air, water, and soil) ( Mulenga, 2019 ).…”

“…Eijdenberg & van Montfort, 2017 ; Eijdenberg et al, 2015 ) and in Zambia (cf. Choongo et al, 2016 , Choongo et al, 2020 ). After the data collection, descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were conducted.…”

Rethinking the Contextual Factors Influencing Urban Mobility: A New Holistic Conceptual Framework

“…The other under-researched area is understanding ways through which cities can prepare for achieving increasingly essential goals such as enhanced urban mobility, walkability (Habitat III, 2016; Principle 8), transit-friendliness (Principle 8), urban safety (Principle 9) while protecting the vulnerable population. The significance of accomplishing such goals is further intensified when studying tropical cities that are swiftly expanding due to the growth of tropical economies, increasing urban entrepreneurial activities and accelerating demographics (Chaiechi & Eijdenberg, 2022;Choongo et al, 2020).…”