The VU Center for Entrepreneurship joins project on inclusive entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa.
This project is funded through the Juncture Research Fund from the University of Auckland (New Zealand). The project will be led by Professor Leo Paas and Dr Marissa Kaloga from the University of Auckland Business School. It will examine how family and community obligations interact with enterprise sustainability in Tanzania and Zambia. The other partners in this international collaboration project are Dr Progress Choongo (Copperbelt University, Zambia), Dr Emiel Eijdenberg (University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, The Netherlands), Dr Nsubili Isaga (Mzumbe University, Tanzania) and Professor Enno Masurel (VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands).
“Our project will explore how entrepreneurs in other contexts may share resources with their community or employ family members, reducing poverty and strengthening communities”, said Professor Paas. “At the same time, family and community obligations may place pressure on the long-term survival of the enterprise.”
According to Paas, the research will develop new knowledge to help entrepreneurs balance family and community needs with financial viability. “Entrepreneurship theory and research is predominantly based on Western assumptions, which may be less suited to explaining how community-based businesses operate in other contexts,” he said.
The project consists of three stages:
- Stage one will apply a modified grounded theory design, in which the basic concept of the project will be operationalized.
- In stage two, a business sustainability assessment tool will be created.
- In stage three, previous tool will be validated.
The project will start soon, run for two years and end in the Spring of 2028.