This study interrogates the intersection of women's empowerment and enterprise development within Africa's creative economy, with specific reference to the Afrobeats and Amapiano music industries. These genres, historically dominated by male participation and leadership, are increasingly shaped by female artists who function simultaneously as cultural producers, entrepreneurs, and agents of socio-economic transformation. Employing Bandura's Role Model Theory, the paper examines how female artists embody aspirational figures whose visibility and success foster emulative pathways for emerging creatives and entrepreneurs. In parallel, Amina Mama's theorization of femocracy is mobilized to critique and contextualize women's collective agency in negotiating patriarchal constraints and asserting authority in cultural and economic domains. By situating these dynamics within the broader discourse of enterprise development in Africa, the paper argues that women's participation in Afrobeats and Amapiano constitutes a critical site for reimagining entrepreneurial narratives, advancing gender equity, and contributing to the diversification of Africa's economic futures. Drawing from documentary analysis, media coverage, music content, artist statements, personal interactions with audiences attuned to the genres, our analysis foregrounds the creative industries not only as cultural expressions but also as strategic arenas of enterprise, innovation, and continental development.
This study examines the impact of green performance appraisal on the behavioral engagement of selected employees in fintech organizations in Lagos State, Nigeria. Basing the research on the social identity theory, the study employs a quantitative descriptive survey design and uses primary data that was gathered using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. One hundred and fifty questionnaires were administered, out of which 118 were returned and considered to be usable, which is a response rate of 78.7. The results were analyzed by multiple regression analysis with the help of SPSS and SEM. The results show that green performance appraisal positively and statistically affects the behavioral engagement of employees. This would indicate that the inclusion of environmental performance criteria in appraisal systems can be related to the higher engagement of employees in sustainability-associated activities. The study will add to the existing body of work on green human resource management because it will offer empirical evidence on the fintech industry in a developing economy. In practice, the results indicate that organizations can increase the level of employee engagement by integrating sustainability aspects in HRM practices.
Recognition of the importance of females in enhancing international trade (exports) is driving policy makers, international and regional organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and The African Union (AU) through Article 3 of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), toward gender mainstreaming. Therefore, understanding the factors driving gender disparities in exporting is crucial to inform gender equality initiatives. World Bank enterprise survey data is used to investigate the gender dynamics with respect to the gender differentials in export performance in 20 SSA countries. The Blinder-Oaxaca and Propensity Score Matching techniques are used to analyze the exporting differentials and the results show that female owned and managed firms have lower export participation and export intensity. The results are explained by differences in endowments and returns to endowments, supporting the female underperformance hypothesis and the liberal and social feminist theories.
This study examines how the institutional context of companies influences their approach to global corporate governance reforms and the implications for convergence in governance practices. Using institutional theory, this study investigates corporate governance regulations and the implementation of global reforms within Nigeria's developing institutional context, employing interviews and documentary analysis. The findings indicate that, due to existing institutional voids, corporate governance regulations in Nigeria do not follow a centralized hierarchy that supports self-regulation. Instead, a mandatory approach through key economic sectors seems to be the only practical way to implement universal best practices. Consequently, corporate governance reforms in Nigeria are diverse, aligning with the main priorities of each key sector. Overall, this study argues that institutional voids in developing countries lead to differing approaches to global reforms, which may ultimately hinder the convergence of corporate governance practices.
This study examines the effect of financial development on tourism performance in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), addressing the limited attention given to tourism as an outcome of financial sector development. Using panel data for 33 SSA countries from 2000-2021 and employing the System Generalised Method of Moments (System GMM), the study decomposes financial development into financial institutions and financial markets to examine their differential effects on international tourism receipts. The results show that overall financial development significantly enhances tourism performance, with financial institutions exerting a stronger influence than financial markets. Trade openness, institutional quality, digitalisation, and GDP per capita also positively influence tourism performance, while inflation exerts a negative effect. The findings highlight the importance of credit access, banking depth, financial inclusion, and macroeconomic stability in promoting tourism development in SSA. The study recommends strengthening financial institutions, expanding access to finance for small and medium tourism enterprises, and promoting digital and infrastructure financing to support sustainable tourism growth within the region.
This study aimed to develop an integrated support framework for faith-based social enterprises (FBSEs), grounded in a blended value creation approach from an institutional logics perspective. Data were collected from 105 respondents managing FBSEs within the Catholic Church across Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia. Using an abductive approach and content analysis, the study identified key aspects essential for the creation of an effective support framework. The findings revealed four primary areas of support within a blended value ecosystem: (1) capacity building and business advisory, (2) collaborative networks and market access, (3) access to finance and financial solutions, and (4) data-driven insights. Additionally, coaching, mentorship, and business advisory were recognized as critical ongoing support mechanisms, vital for the long-term development of FBSEs. The study highlights the need to transition from a siloed, standalone approach to supporting FBSEs toward an integrated, sustainable, and future-oriented framework, grounded in a blended value perspective.
Background: Ubuntu is widely recognized as an African philosophy that shapes the African way of life. In theory, Ubuntu should be most prevalent within Africa, where individuals are expected to resonate strongly with this philosophy. This study examines Ubuntu leadership as an emic phenomenon, distinct from leadership approaches in other cultural contexts, specifically the United Kingdom (UK). Aim: The aim of this study is twofold: (1) to determine whether employees' perceptions of their managers' Ubuntu leadership differ between South Africa (SA) and the United Kingdom (UK), and (2) to assess whether the relationships between perceived Ubuntu leadership and key employee outcomes, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and well-being, are stronger in the South African context. Setting: The study draws on data collected from employed individuals in South Africa and the UK, contrasting acts and perspectives shaped by different geographical and cultural contexts. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Respondents completed measures of Ubuntu leadership, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and well-being. Following tests of reliability and factorial validity (including measurement invariance), mean scores for Ubuntu leadership were compared across the two cultural groups. In addition, correlation coefficients were calculated and their magnitudes examined to assess the relationships between Ubuntu and outcomes across groups. Results: The psychometric properties of the instruments were satisfactory. Results indicate that South African managers were perceived by employees to score significantly higher on Ubuntu leadership than their UK counterparts, supporting the view that Ubuntu is more salient within the African context. Contrary to expectations, however, the positive associations between Ubuntu leadership and the three employee outcomes were not stronger in the South African sample than in the UK sample. Conclusion: Ubuntu leadership may hold particular relevance in cultural contexts aligned with its philosophical underpinnings, as reflected in its prevalence in South Africa. Its predictive power is substantial and not confined to South Africa, suggesting that the principles of Ubuntu leadership extend beyond their cultural origins and hold relevance in broader, non-African contexts.
There is great concern for sustainable development to ensure that the future of unborn generations is not sacrificed for the market model of profit maximization by firms. Prior studies have investigated the attitude of individuals toward recycling, firms' green supply chain management and sustainable performance. However, how public environmental policy influences recycling practices at the firm level and the mediation of recycling practices between environmental policy regimes and the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental performance have not been adequately examined. Accordingly, the focus of this paper, through the theoretical lens of the Natural Resource Based View, investigated the nexus between environmental policy, recycling practices and sustainable performance of firms. The study adopted an analytical survey design. A sample of 174 managers was selected through a stratified sampling procedure, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed with structural equation modeling using Smart PLS software version 4.1.4 The result indicated that there was a positive relationship between environmental policy and recycling of waste materials; there was a positive relationship between recycling and sustainable social and environmental performance of manufacturing firms. The paper concluded that recycling practices reduced production costs, fostered eco-efficiency and enhanced sustainable performance. The paper recommended that managers of manufacturing firms need to invest in recycling systems to integrate eco-design and reverse logistics architecture and promote sustainability outcomes.
This study examines how institutional voids shape firms' adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in South Africa and Kenya. Institutional voids in capital, labor, regulatory, and product markets can both constrain and enable technology adoption. Using a survey of 192 decision-makers, we apply partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the influence of each void on AI adoption. The findings show that lower capital and product market voids consistently enhance adoption, confirming their role as foundational conditions for technology deployment. In contrast, labor and regulatory voids do not exhibit significant effects in the full sample. However, subgroup analyses reveal important heterogeneity: women and early-career professionals are more likely to perceive the reduction of labor and regulatory voids as enabling AI adoption. The study advances institutional theory by distinguishing between foundational voids that must be reduced and desirable voids that can foster experimentation. Policy implications highlight the need for context-sensitive reforms to support inclusive AI adoption.
African entrepreneurial ecosystems are characterized by rapid growth and profound instability, yet existing theoretical frameworks struggle to explain the dynamic pathways ventures navigate between states of growth, stagnation, and failure. This study addresses this gap by developing a dynamic transition theory of African entrepreneurship. Leveraging a unique longitudinal dataset of 2314 startups across 15 countries, we employ a Markov chain framework not as an end in itself, but as a lens to quantify ecosystem resilience, identify pervasive traps such as the 48% probability of early-stage stagnation, and uncover counter-intuitive patterns like inverted resilience, where failure becomes a catalyst for renewal, evidenced by a 37% rebound probability from decline. Beyond its theoretical contribution, our model is translated into a policy optimization tool, offering evidence-based, phase-sensitive intervention protocols such as technology-linked microcredit that guide policymakers in strategically allocating resources between R&D, financing and incubation, to maximize entrepreneurial value under uncertainty. This research provides a new, dynamic language for understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems and delivers a practical framework for strengthening resilience and fostering inclusive growth.
Enhancing an organization's performance, growth, and survival requires innovation and encouraging workers to adopt innovative work behavior. However, the role of employees' motivation, emotion, cognition, personality traits, and psychological capital in fostering innovation has received less attention in the innovation behavior literature. Since knowledge workers predominantly champion innovation, assessing how they harmonize their passion and spillover effects in their innovative work behavior is of great interest. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study hypothesized and examined how harmonious work passion influences innovative work behavior through work-family facilitation and thriving at work. Using structural equation modeling, our results showed that harmonious work passion significantly and positively influenced innovative work behavior, based on empirical data from 555 knowledge workers in Ghana at two time points. Moreover, harmonious work passion directly and positively influenced work-family facilitation. Also, thriving at work positively and significantly influences innovative work behavior. Besides, harmonious work passion exerted a significant, indirect, positive influence on innovative work behavior through the serial mediating effects of work-family facilitation and thriving at work. These findings highlight the spillover effect of harmonious work passion in fostering knowledge workers' innovative behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.
This study examined the current level of Computerized Accounting Information System (CAIS) adoption among media stations in Ghana and its impact on their financial performance and operational efficiency. Quantitative approach was used, involving a cross-sectional survey of 427 stations made up 318 radio and 109 televisions stations selected through convenience sampling. Data was gathered using online structured questionnaire. Descriptive analysis with the aid of SPSS (V.23) indicated moderate agreement on the current level of CAIS adoption among media stations. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in SPSS Amos (V.23) demonstrated that CAIS has significant positive impact on financial performance and operational efficiency. This study makes a significant contribution to the understanding of CAIS adoption in Ghanaian media SMEs, an area underexplored in existing literature. It provides empirical evidence linking CAIS adoption to enhanced financial performance and operational efficiency, addressing gaps in existing studies that often neglects media-specific contexts. Furthermore, the study offers practical managerial guidance, including roadmap for developing CAIS capabilities and recommendations, as means to achieve sustainable competitive advantage rather than merely a technical investment. The study employed a quantitative approach; however, incorporating qualitative or mixed-method approaches could yield deeper insights into the complexities of CAIS adoption within the media sector.
This study examines the relationship between Quality of Work Life (QWL) and employees' innovative performance, focusing on the mediating role of creative mind-set. It addresses the growing need for organizations in emerging African economies to enhance innovation while supporting employee well-being. Using a quantitative design, data were collected from 260 service-sector employees in Tunisia, including banking, IT, healthcare, and education. A structured questionnaire based on validated scales was employed, and data were analyzed using SPSS 25 and SmartPLS 4 (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that QWL significantly and positively affects both creative mind-set and innovative performance. Creative mind-set also positively influences innovative performance and partially mediates the QWL-innovation relationship. These findings suggest that supportive work environments foster employees' creative thinking, leading to improved innovation outcomes. The study underscores the strategic importance of investing in QWL to enhance creativity and innovation, offering practical implications for managers and policymakers aiming to strengthen organizational performance in African contexts.
The interest in financial literacy has led to its popularization in the finance literature in African countries as well as worldwide. However, considering the socio-economic and developmental status of the countries in the African continent, financial literacy is a more critical issue. Although there are studies on the subject worldwide, to the best of our knowledge, there is no research that comprehensively analyses the financial literacy literature in the African context. The aim of the present study is to fill this gap through a retrospective investigation of financial literacy studies in the African context by employing the method of bibliometric analysis. The results show a recent and rapid growth in the financial literacy literature, based on 336 publications indexed in the Scopus database. The results show that human development is a dominant research theme in studies related to financial literacy, but economics and business management is an emerging theme with the potential to be fully settled. As such, this study provides a comprehensive overview of financial literacy in the African context and opens up new avenues for future research.
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified employees' challenges in balancing work and family roles, heightening concerns about work-life conflict (WLC) and turnover intentions (TOIs). This study examines the effect of work-life conflict, captured as work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC), on TOIs, and the mediating role of job embeddedness (JE) among health-service employees in India and Uganda. Using survey data, the study conducts separate country-specific analyses and a combined dataset analysis to provide a comparative perspective. Findings reveal that WFC significantly increases TOIs in Uganda, while FWC drives TOIs in India. Job embeddedness reduces TOIs in both countries. In Uganda, both WFC and FWC significantly influence JE, whereas in India, only FWC has a significant effect. JE has a direct effect on TOIs in India but not in Uganda. Mediation results show that FWC indirectly affects TOIs through JE in India, while no indirect effects are observed in Uganda. In the combined-country analysis, both WFC and FWC significantly affect JE and TOIs, with JE partially mediating these relationships. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of contextual differences in shaping work-life conflict dynamics, job embeddedness, and turnover intentions, offering valuable theoretical and managerial insights for emerging economies during crisis periods.
This study examines the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and financial stability in non-financial firms listed on African stock markets, with a specific focus on the moderating role of religious diversity. A quantitative research design was employed, using data from 281 non-financial listed firms across 23 African countries over the 2012-2022 period. A two-step system dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) was implemented to analyze the data. Corporate governance mechanisms, including board independence, board size, board effectiveness, and chairman duality, positively influence financial stability. Furthermore, religious diversity moderates these relationships, amplifying the positive effects of governance mechanisms on financial stability. Managers should prioritize religious diversity in board composition to strengthen governance and financial stability. Inclusive recruitment practices, cultural competency training, and policies that support diverse representation can enhance board effectiveness. This study extends the understanding of corporate governance by highlighting the significant role of religious diversity. It also provides new insights into how religious diversity can influence the effectiveness of governance mechanisms in enhancing financial stability, particularly in African markets.
The surge in fintech has had a significant impact on the lending industry, hence creating a gap as to its effect on loan default. Fintech has made financial services more accessible, but it has equally raised questions about the potential risk of loan default. This study examines the relationship between fintech and loan default in South Africa (SA). Using data from the World Bank-Global Financial Inclusion Database and South African Reserve Bank (SARB) from 2010 to 2022, the Dynamic Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) long-run simulation is employed with the fully modified ordinary least squares (FM-OLS) as the robustness test. Digital usage, bank account ownership, borrowed money, and remittances are employed as control variables. The findings indicate that fintech adoption, encompassing mobile money platforms, peer-to-peer lending, and other technology-driven financial services, positively influences loan default in SA, highlighting a critical trade-off in enhanced financial accessibility. Contrary to trends in other African countries, fintech negatively affects remittances in SA due to the dominance of traditional institutions, such as conventional banks and money transfer operators, which benefit from an extensive network of branches and ATMs. These findings are robust, providing evidence of the significance of the relationship between the response and explanatory variables.
Studying managers' effectiveness to motivate subordinates to implement continuous improvement (CI) initiatives can provide important insights for healthcare management in ensuring high-quality patient care when resources are scarce. This research fills a gap in the supervisor-subordinate relationship and proactive influence tactics literature by considering the impact organizational culture has on subordinates' willingness to commit to CI initiatives. Members of a public and private healthcare providers listserv of the International Association of Public Health Logisticians were surveyed during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Bootstrapping and PLS-SEM were used to analyze the data. Results show that the effectiveness of rational persuasion and consultation in soliciting commitment to CI initiatives in the Nigerian healthcare system is mediated by the supervisor-subordinate relationship. And an organizational culture that supports mentoring, teamwork, and employee participation, i.e. Clan culture, increases employees' commitment to CI initiatives. Implications are that developing strong relationships and a supportive culture are important.
This study explores how socio-cultural complexities and institutional barriers affect the shopping experience of online groceries shoppers in Africa. Adopting a qualitative method with an interpretivist philosophy, 16 in-depth semi structured interviews were conducted with online groceries shoppers in Lagos, Nigeria. Findings reveal that while participants adopt online shopping due to convenience, product variety, and AI-powered decision-support devices, their engagement is constrained by digital mistrust, data insecurity, infrastructural limitations, and weak regulatory enforcement system. The theoretical contributions relate to the e-commerce and technology acceptance literature, and the managerial implications include insights for platform designers, retailers, and policymakers to enhance trust and digital inclusion. This knowledge will help to enhance the emerging markets' digital retail landscape. Our paper also extends the current theorizing around institutional theory.
