Social entrepreneurship for sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from business incubation in selected countries
Over the past several years, there is growing recognition among the impact investing community that there is an acute need for early stage support for business incubation and acceleration. While there are thousands of early stage innovators seeking to launch companies that can drive social change, very few are able to build the teams, find the customer base, or raise the investment necessary to scale up.
Using mixed research methods with primary and secondary data in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Ghana, this project seeks to strengthen the ecosystem of social entrepreneurship. It will do so by exploring ways to strengthen existing research and innovation ecosystems in the selected countries, as well as the potential roles that each of the key stakeholders can play. The research findings will inform policy discussions and business incubation practices in the focus countries. The project will also suggest entry points for impact investors seeking to develop the potential of the selected markets through support to national ecosystems.
Project ID
109453
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
24 months
IDRC Officer
Flaubert Mbiekop
Total Funding
CA$ 302,200.00
Location
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Ghana
Institution Country
United States
Project Leader
Denis Foretia
Institution
The Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation Inc
Institution Website
Outputs
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Effects of taxation on social innovation and implications for achieving sustainable development goals in developing countries - A literature review Article
Author(s): Jean Cedric Kouam , Simplice A. Asongu |
Social entrepreneurship for sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa : lessons from business incubation in the selected countries Report
The report outlines the activities carried out during the Social Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development in subSaharan Africa: Lessons from Business Incubation in selected countries project. The project seeks to support the formulation of policies designed to catalyze economic development across the continent. The study was carried out as part of an exploratory phase in 3 sub-Saharan African countries representative of the continent’s economic dynamics. These selected countries are: Cameroon, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. The overall objective of this project is to map the business incubation practice in the selected sub-Saharan African countries. Author(s): Foretia, Denis Language: English |
| Effects of taxation on social innovation and implications for achieving sustainable development goals in developing countries : a literature review Article
In developing countries, taxation is perceived as a brake on economic growth. Indeed, taxes in most of these countries are not sufficiently adapted to the specificity of the taxpayer and often do not consider the weak administrative capacity of the countries in the region. In this context, reforms have been initiated over the last decade to create tax environments that encourage savings, investment, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. This study provides an overview of research on the effects of taxation on social innovation and the corresponding implications for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries, taking three approaches: thematic, chronological, and methodological. Most studies agree that high taxes in business undermine social innovation and thus the achievement of SDGs, as social innovation is known to be a driver of most SDGs and business the vehicle. The majority of the selected studies used primary data collected from samples whose representativeness with respect to the population concerned (notably businesses) is still not explicitly justified. Author(s): Kouam, Jean C., Asongu, Simplice A. Language: English |