A digital network for entrepreneurs across Africa
Ben White , Miguel Heilbron | 20 November 2025Innovative early stage ventures that potentially have a high social and environmental impact, but require less than €1 million in capital are the most difficult segment of the SME pipeline to reach. Yet their potential for growth is immense.
read moreFilling the skill gaps
Karina Ufert | 18 November 2025Skill gaps and effective pairing of education with labour market needs remain one of the most pressing obstacles for SME development in Africa.
read moreYoung entrepreneurs in rural Africa as drivers for job creation
Paula Nagler , Wim Naudé | 21 November 2025Can Africa’s rural economy create enough jobs for predominantly young job-seekers?
read moreLooking beyond success stories
Klaartje Jaspers | November 13, 2025To give local and international businesses a new role in assuring inclusive growth in Africa, the African Studies Centre and the Netherlands African Business Council organized the two-day Africa Works! 2014 conference. They invited 740 representat…
read moreDoing business in Africa: do the poor profit?
Annemarie van de Vijsel | November 12, 2025When the Dutch private sector is involved in development in Africa, a dilemma may arise. The Dutch government claims that businesses could have a positive impact on local economic development on the continent in the longer term. But do their activ…
read moreSupport for SMEs: lucrative or futile?
Roland Michelitsch | 13 November 2025Assistance to small and medium enterprises only makes sense if it addresses the key constraints for SMEs and allows them to grow into larger and more productive enterprises.
read moreWhy private equity boosts developing economies
Matthijs de Bruijn , Som Toohey | 12 November 2025Four main characteristics of the private equity model are crucial to drive SME development in developing countries.
read moreBeyond treating symptoms
Paul Lange | 29 October 2025Support to SMEs in fragile and conflict-affected states has become a priority for the international development community. Yet thorough analysis of the broader institutional context in which these SMEs operate is needed to explain inequalities in…
read moreIt’s not about formalization
Jann Lay | 28 October 2025How informal micro and small enterprises can (if they should at all) make the transition into formal enterprises and how this would affect their growth and employment structure
read moreHigh stakes: African asylum seeker entrepreneurs in Israel
Ilana Pinshaw | 28 October 2025Of 48,000 African migrants in Israel, the majority are asylum seekers from Sudan and Eritrea. If it is done right, entrepreneurship can play a vital role in integrating these refugees into Israeli society and responding to market niches.
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