Introduction to African Digital Entrepreneurship

Abstract

There is a general tendency to believe that adverse geography, weak institutions, and the general lack of resources have contributed to Africa’s inability to develop and to be innovative. However, despite the hostile environment of doing business in Africa, variations in firm performance do exist: some have regressed, some have progressed, and some have remained stagnant. The variations in performance increase with technological advances, but there is limited evidence documenting how digital enterprises approach the hostile business settings in Africa.

This book focuses on how some outstanding digital firms have dealt with the hostile business environment in Africa. It has been argued that the arrival of the Internet has contributed to increasing speed and shrinking distances—thus creating equal opportunities for entrepreneurs globally—but this needs to be illustrated with insightful case studies. We contend that, while on the one hand, digital platforms have created equal access, on the other hand many digital entrepreneurs in Africa still struggle with local environments replete with corruption and other economic inefficiencies.