Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Africa

Entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa - pivotal for the continent's economic progress - present a contrast to Europe and North America with unique challenges and opportunities facing African startups and micro, small, and medium enterprises. This chapter offers a comprehensive examination of these differences and distinctive features of African startup and innovation ecosystems, highlighting insights from extant research and opportunities for empirical exploration and theoretical elaboration. We explore the relevance of these African experiences to similar emerging and developing economies and emphasize the need for research that specifically addresses these unique dynamics, particularly in areas where existing theories and insights may not fully apply.

Keywords: Africa, innovation, entrepreneurship, MSMEs, institutions, firm performance

JEL Classification: M13; M16; O43; O31; O32; O55

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Assenova, Valentina and Agarwal, Aparajita, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Africa (February 20, 2024). De Gruyter Handbook of Sociology of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Olav Sorenson and Patricia H. Thornton, Editors, Forthcoming , The Wharton School Research Paper Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4540399 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4540399