Displaced, excluded, moving on: a study of refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya

The global refugee crisis has grown in scale over the last 30 years. There are currently 25.4million refugees worldwide of whom 85 percent reside in developing countries (UNHCR, 2019). As a result of the protracted violence and instability in the East African region, Kenya has been on the frontier of receiving refugees and asylum seekers since the 1970s. However, the official approach of the Kenyan government has been to enact a unique encampment policy that has effectively stripped the refugee community of the right to free movement and employment across the country. Most refugees are restricted to camps located in predominantly arid and semi-arid areas that have often been subjected to socio-political marginalisation (Campbell et al, 2011). In effect, these refugees are denied the opportunity to contribute to the economy of the host country by using their entrepreneurial skills and resources to create value and enhance national productivity. In the same vein, the imposed restrictions make it difficult for the refugee households to support themselves, raise household income, and forge a path to long term resettlement or return. However, in spite of these constraints, the refugees are employing new strategies to overcome institutional and infrastructural barriers and challenges. This paper therefore presents a study of refugee entrepreneurs within Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. We examine the role of social capital- in its bonding, bridging and linking forms. We draw from in-depth interviews of key stakeholders, supplemented with archival documents and policy papers, to review existing policies and interrogate the models of refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya. We also examine the link between refugee resilience, self-reliance and ingenuity on the one hand, and entrepreneurial success and livelihood recovery on the other hand. We then propose a conceptual framework that highlights the role of social capital in overcoming institutional and infrastructural constraints to entrepreneurship among refugee populations

Universal basic education in Nigeria: can non-state actors make a difference?

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Against the backdrop of falling standards and failing government policies in the education sector in Nigeria, this paper investigates how and why non-state actors can make significant impact towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals for Universal Basic Education. This study draws from semi-structured interviews of 15 heads and proprietors- six state-funded schools, six faith schools and three other privately owned schools- to examine and compare the different motivations, guiding principles and overall impact of these actors in the education sector. Religious actors are, along with private providers, making significant contribution to the provision of basic education in Nigeria. Students from Faith schools tend to perform better academically, and they also tend to be more disciplined and resourceful. However, because they are fee paying, fewer households are able to access them. The findings highlights the need to facilitate better cooperation and knowledge transfer activities between public, private and faith schools. It also emphasises the need for better government commitment and investment in provision of resources and facilities,curriculum regulations, and regular inspection and quality monitoring of public schools. The study highlights, on the one hand, the superior capacity of non-state actors- especially religious actors- to deploy their vast social capital towards the mobilisation of funds and human resources. On the other hand, while they have made inroads in their share of total national school enrolment, non-state actors have not made significant impact on access to quality education, due to high fees and entry barriers faced by poorer households

Venturing under fire: Entrepreneurship education, venture creation, and poverty reduction in conflict-ridden Maiduguri, Nigeria

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI linkPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how a new entrepreneurship education (EE) intervention offered at conflict-ridden Maiduguri, Nigeria, is having transformative impacts through new venture creation and poverty reduction. Design/methodology/approach: The paper adopts a single case study approach, drawing from in-depth interviews of participants, experts, and facilitators of the entrepreneurship training, in addition to relevant memos and documents. Findings: The findings indicate that the EE programme is, by generating awareness and facilitating skill development, contributing to new venture creation, poverty reduction, and positive change in mindset. However, the impact is limited by inadequate support through venture capital and limited facilities for business incubation. Research limitations/implications: This study is limited in its focus on EE provided for university undergraduates and graduates. Further research should explore interventions aimed at less-educated youth in the region, and in other conflict contexts. Social implications: The study suggests that EE facilitates youth empowerment through venture creation, in the process transforming them from aggrieved outsiders to active stakeholders in societal peace and national prosperity. Originality/value: The nascent theory of transformative entrepreneuring identifies poverty reduction and conflict resolution as the main mechanisms. This paper focuses on how EE triggers new venture creation, which in turn contributes to poverty reduction and overall change in mindset of otherwise unemployed and aggrieved youths

Spiritual capital, entrepreneurial resilience and firm-level performance in turbulent environments

Increasingly, businesses in the 21st century have to grapple with the challenges of operating in turbulent environments characterised by market volatility, political instability, and terrorism These challenges are relevant to developing countries, where institutional weaknesses exacerbate environmental turbulence; and developed countries, where, for example in the UK, businesses are grappling with the uncertainties of BREXIT. In order to survive and compete, firms mobilise external resources and develop new strategies. For instance, scholars have observed that social capital in the form of cooperative alliances enables rival firms to combine resources, share costs, achieve economies of scale, and mitigate risk and uncertainty in innovation. Recently, a new interest has emerged in the role of spiritual capital-that is, the set of personal, intangible, and transcendent resources that emanate from an individual's spiritual or religious beliefs and experiences and may be used in economic activity. Spiritual capital is especially relevant in sub-Saharan Africa where there are greater institutional voids, and religion and spirituality play a dominant role in society. While recent studies have drawn attention to the impact of spiritual capital on firm level innovation and performance and corporate governance practices, this paper proposes a conceptual framework that interrogates and integrates the relationships between spiritual capital, environmental turbulence, entrepreneurial resilience and firm survival

Impact of cooperative membership on farmers' uptake of technological innovations in Southwest Nigeria

Open access journalThe underutilization of agriculture in Nigeria with attendant low yield per hectare is generally attributed to lack of innovation to cope with the challenges of climate change and land degradation. In this study, using information from 326 farmers in Southwest Nigeria, we examined the relative impact of cooperative membership compared with the effects of other socio- economic factors on farmers’ adoption of technological innovations. Cooperative membership has a high impact compared to other socioeconomic factors such as land access, gender, and educational status. It is recommended that intervention programs in the agricultural sector should focus more attention on strengthening and expanding farmers’ cooperatives for better diffusion and use intensity of innovations and better linking social capital with extension agencies, banks, markets, and agricultural value chains

Picking up the pieces: social capital and entrepreneurship for livelihood recovery among displaced populations in Northeast Nigeria

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version.In the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in the rate of forced displacement, often precipitated by persecution, civil wars, terrorism, transborder conflicts, as well as natural disasters. The United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) reports that there are 25.4 million refugees and 68.5 million forcibly displaced people, and only a small fraction are able to return to their former homes (UNHCR 2019). Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has precipitated humanitarian tragedy on a scale comparable to the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970) and arguably the worst of any manmade or natural disaster in Nigeria's history. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimates that up to 3.3 million people have been internally displaced due to terrorist violence perpetrated by the Boko Haram (International Displacement Monitoring Centre 2015). The number of people displaced by the conflict is the largest in Africa and the third largest in the world. Using quantitative and qualitative data obtained from questionnaires and interviews conducted with respondents in Northeast Nigeria, the study examines the extent to which the displaced populations are drawing on social capital and human capital to withstand, cope with and recover from the adverse experiences and consequences of the insurgency and counterinsurgency. Given that most forced displacements occur in developing countries like Nigeria, government resources are increasingly stretched to deal with the crisis, and there are calls for fundamental rethink of the traditional approach to interventions in disaster situations. In particular, scholars and practitioners are highlighting the need to shift from the current emphasis on technological solutions and financial input, to an approach that combines both technological solutions and social solutions, bringing people and communities to the forefront of interventions (Aldrich & Meyer 2014; Wind & Komproe 2012; Johnson et al. 2013). Forced migration is a social process in which human agency and social networks play a major part. These networks can be instrumental in the construction and (re)-construction of livelihood systems and communities shattered by insurgencies and protracted conflicts

Tax compliance cost and international trade in Africa

International trade in Africa could be one of the antidotes to the precarious poverty and economic deficiency in which the continent finds itself. An outward orientation towards international trade opens the continent to many opportunities including an increase in productivity and the development of redistributive channels for both natural and manufactured products. Resources in Africa could also be efficiently allocated and other consumption opportunities will be exploited when international trade is encouraged and reformed. However, one of the major bottlenecks which affect the growth of international trade in the continent is tax compliance costs. Taxation and its compliance cost could be the most burdensome and costly business activity which has the potential to discourage business growth and investments. Tax compliance costs which include the cost and time involved in complying with various tax regulations in Africa could be a disincentive to trading firms. Adopting the institutional theory, this study has investigated the impact of tax compliance cost on international trade in Africa. The evidence shows that while the number of taxes paid by firms in a year and the tax rate as a percentage of commercial profit has a negative impact on international trade in Africa. However, the time taken for tax registration/compliance and post-tax filing time of firms seem not to have any immediate impact on international trade in Africa. This paper, therefore, argues that Africa needs tax reforms in the form of self-assessments, simplification of tax administration, risk-based inspections and electronic submissions of tax returns in order to reduce the current level of tax compliance burden on firms in Africa

Institutional barriers to successful innovations: perceptions of rural farmers and key stakeholders in southwest Nigeria

Diffusion studies in sub-Saharan Africa have typically focused on the impact of traditional adoption factors on uptake of technological innovations. This study draws on semi-structured interviews of rural farmers and in-depth interviews of stakeholders in southwest Nigeria to examine the impact of institutional factors on the success of technological innovations. The findings indicate that government policies, markets, financial institutions, infrastructure and other institutional conditions play significant role on the success of technological innovations. A successful innovation package should integrate institutional reforms with promotion of innovative inputs, and vibrant farmers’ cooperatives can be at the heart of such agrarian reform

Impact of climate governance in increasing resilience among cyclone sidr and aila affected people in bangladesh

This paper discusses climate governance policies in Bangladesh and investigates to what extent are those policies contributing to increasing resilience among cyclone Sidr and Aila affected coastal people of Bangladesh. Climate governance has emerged in recent years in order to address the governance challenges within climate change programmes and policies and to reduce the vulnerability of disaster victims by engaging with multiple stakeholders from both government and non-government institutions with specific objectives to ensure governance issues and ensure use of funds for most vulnerable communities. In other words, it is the rule making decision, making mechanisms and modes within a given system or society that determine how institutions’ interest are articulated, coordinated and negotiated; how power and authority are distributed, controlled and exercised and how resources are accessed, allocated, used and exchanged; and how conflicts are mitigated or resolved to enable and sustain effective climate change mitigation and adaptive response. This study draws on structured interviews of 285 affected villagers and data were collected using questionnaire survey and data were analysed by using frequency distribution, confidence interval test, cross tabulation and chi-square tests. The results show that climate governance does not have much contribution in increasing resilience among the cyclone Sidr and Aila affected vulnerable of Bangladesh. More specifically, the results show that only about 12% houses are pucca in Sidr affected areas and 16% houses are pucca in Aila affected areas. Likewise, the cross tabulation results show that more than 77% of respondents have very low level of resilience to cyclone and more than 95% of respondents have vulnerability between very low to moderate level. About 79% of respondents have a very low level of resilience in terms of cyclones and more than 71% in terms of building capacity to resilience. This study makes significant contribution to the body of knowledge by investigating the impact of climate governance policies in increasing resilience among post-cyclone Sidr and Aila affected people of Bangladesh