Sustainable innovations for rural Africa: Case studies from Nigeria and Tanzania

ABSTRACT

Sustainable entrepreneurship is essential to tackle the negative effects of climate change in communities, especially in the rural areas of Africa. This article presents case studies of two start-ups developing sustainable business models for rural communities in Nigeria and Tanzania. The cases were monitored during an accelerator program, and the analyzed materials come from in-depth interviews, field observations, and secondary data. The obtained data were coded and processed using qualitative thematic analysis. The research activities took place during the years 2022 and 2023. The cases illustrate how the studied entrepreneurs have designed their sustainable business models and engaged with early adopters and opinion leaders within a community. They leveraged existing networks and community associations to provide education and training. This can be highly effective in increasing the adoption rates of innovations. However, navigating the political and cultural dynamics and building trust within communities is crucial to overcoming challenges and successfully diffusing innovations in rural Africa.

KEYWORDS:

• Community engagement
• innovation adoption
• rural entrepreneurship
• Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire contents of this article and approved its submission.

Consent

Representatives of both studied start-ups (NovFeed and D-Olivette), have been informed about the usage of all the materials in the research article and agreed to participate in the research.

Data availability statements

All data sources and used materials are cited properly and linked with the studied organizations.

Ethical approval

The study was written in line with the ethical standards of conducting research at the author´s institutions and international research ethics standards.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Business Administration, Prague University of Economics and Business, under no. [IP300040].