IBMB Research focuses on sustainable entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa

IBMB Researcher, Dr Samuel Adomako, is partnering with leading researchers at the University of Kent and the University of Ghana to  investigate the relationship between sustainability practices and entrepreneurial success in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by ecological fragility and will be most severely impacted by environmental deterioration including climate change and biodiversity loss in the next decades (World Bank, 2019). The devastation of natural resources in the region will gravely affect global biodiversity, contribute to widespread famines, and trigger migrations and political volatility. There have been debates by pressure groups regarding the appropriate level of government intervention through legislation in the marketplace. Besides, consumers and other stakeholders are demanding greater transparency on environmental and social issues. These trends have attracted substantial interest in ‘‘sustainable entrepreneurship’’.

With entrepreneurs facing stakeholder pressures, can the concept of sustainability live up to expectations of entrepreneurial success in Africa? This ongoing initiative, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Kent and the University of Ghana, delves into the outcomes of sustainability practices on entrepreneurial success such as profitability and social performance. A better understanding of the outcomes of sustainability practices of entrepreneurial firms in Africa is important given their fast growth, a crucial role for development, and aggregated environmental impact in sub-Saharan African countries.