PurposeAddressing food insecurity, youth unemployment, poverty and insecurity remain a pressing priority in most nations. Thus, promoting agripreneurship among young people is increasingly recognized as a viable pathway to tackle these challenges. Thus, this study investigates how and under what conditions entrepreneurial education (EE) and psychological traits – innovativeness, locus of control, need for achievement, risk propensity and tolerance for ambiguity – shape youths’ willingness to pursue agripreneurship in a resource-constrained and fragile context. Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a quantitative research design, and 300 final-year students in public secondary schools were sampled. Structural equation modeling was used for analysis. FindingsEE moderates the influence of these traits on agripreneurial readiness of secondary school students. Complementary fuzzy-set analysis reveals that while no single trait or exposure to EE is a necessary condition, various combinations can drive similar outcomes. Originality/valueThis study examined how EE and psychological traits jointly shape agripreneurial readiness among final-year secondary school students preparing to enter the workforce. The findings provide important insights for policymakers seeking to promote youth engagement in agripreneurship, particularly in rural, resource-constrained and fragile contexts.
Cobalt coordination chemistry continues to attract considerable attention due to the metal’s accessible oxidation states and flexible electronic structure, which enable precise modulation of its redox behaviour. These features underpin its use in catalysis, energy-related processes, sensing, and biologically relevant systems. This review critically examines recent developments with an emphasis on the relationship between ligand architecture and electrochemical response. The discussion is centred on key classes of cobalt complexes, including metal phthalocyanines, porphyrin-derived systems, pyridine-based macrocyclic frameworks, and ferrocenyl chalcone–containing complexes. Particular focus is placed on Co–N₄ coordination environments, the distinction between metal- and ligand-centred redox processes, and the influence of axial ligation on electronic structure and reactivity. Comparisons across these ligand platforms reveal how subtle structural variations govern redox potentials, reversibility, and functional performance. Attention is also given to the experimental and theoretical approaches commonly employed to probe these systems, alongside the limitations that often complicate interpretation of electrochemical data. By consolidating findings from discrete molecular complexes as well as immobilized and hybrid systems, this review identifies inconsistencies in mechanistic understanding and outlines directions for more rational design of cobalt-based redox-active materials.
Polymer-inorganic nanocomposites are commonly prepared using solution-based approaches that rely on solvents, often toxic or costly, and multi-step processing, which can limit scalability, environmental compatibility, and interfacial control. The development of solvent-free synthetic strategies that enable controlled nanoparticle formation directly within polymer matrices, therefore, remains an important challenge. Here, we demonstrate a solventless melt approach for the in situ synthesis of NiCo2S4/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanocomposites via thermolysis of metal xanthate precursors, where the polymer melt simultaneously acts as the reaction medium and a stabilizing matrix for nanoparticle formation. Crystalline NiCo2S4 nanoparticles (4-12 nm) are formed uniformly within the polymer matrix, with particle size governed primarily by polymer concentration and precursor alkyl chain length. Higher PVP content effectively restricts crystal growth, while longer-chain precursors promote larger crystallites, with short-chain precursors yielding more uniform nanoparticle dispersion, indicating that polymer-precursor interactions play a key role in nanostructure evolution. Spectroscopic analysis suggests coordination between PVP carbonyl groups and the NiCo2S4 surface contributing to controlled dispersion and reduced agglomeration. This work establishes, for the first time, a solventless melt strategy for the preparation of mixed-metal sulfide/polymer nanocomposites, providing a scalable and environmentally benign route to polymer-inorganic hybrid materials. While the present study focuses on structure-morphology relationships, the resulting nanocomposites are of potential interest for applications in energy storage, electrocatalysis, and sensing. The applicability of this approach is governed by the thermal compatibility between precursor decomposition and polymer stability, highlighting important considerations for extending this strategy to other systems.
The study provides a comparative analysis of the impact of pandemics and the level of economic uncertainty in the labour markets of low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although the impact of pandemics has received considerable attention to date, the analysis of pandemic asymmetric effects in the labour market and the role of economic uncertainty as a mediator of these effects has not yet been fully explored. Asymmetric panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag and Fixed/Random Effect models, as well as secondary data for the fourteen SSA countries, are employed in the analysis, which covers the sample period from 1996 to 2022. The findings demonstrate that a high frequency of pandemics significantly affects the labour market of low-income SSA countries over both the short and long run. However, the effects of pandemics are only short-term significant for middle-income SSA countries. Furthermore, high pandemic frequency itself triggers unemployment more in low-income countries, while the effect in middle-income countries depends on the economic uncertainty levels. The findings imply that low-income countries suffer more from pandemics than middle-income countries, given the severity of the effects. This could be mitigated through stronger social protection and labour market policies. Also, policymakers in low-income countries should give top priority to establishing their own economic strategies and be vigilant in assessing their current economic conditions.
Indigenous entrepreneurship (IE) is gaining prominence globally. Yet, it remains insufficiently theorised in African contexts, where universal models of entrepreneurship are still applied in ways that do not fully reflect the lived realities and aspirations of Indigenous peoples. In response, this paper examines how Indigenous communities in South Africa define and practise entrepreneurship, and how they conceptualise entrepreneurial “success.” The study adopts a decolonial framework informed by the geopolitics of knowledge and draws on qualitative data from ten interviews and two focus group discussions with Indigenous entrepreneurs in KwaZulu-Natal. Through this lens, the analysis explores how participants’ understandings of IE align with, challenge, or extend dominant scholarly and policy narratives. The findings show that participants define IE through relational, cultural, and community-centred principles rather than individual profit maximisation. Success is defined as sustaining community livelihoods, strengthening social bonds, and protecting ecological and cultural resources. These priorities signal an alternative entrepreneurial epistemology that resists narrow economic indicators and affirms the legitimacy of Indigenous economic systems on their own terms. The paper argues that grounding entrepreneurship in Indigenous worldviews not only destabilises the presumed universality of mainstream entrepreneurship theories but also offers concrete directions for rethinking how success is measured and supported in policy and education. In doing so, it advances more inclusive, decolonial approaches that centre community autonomy and open up possibilities for reimagining development from the ground up.
