Browsing by Author "Matambalya, Francis A.S.T."

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Demonstrating the Potential Role of Transnational Diaspora Entrepreneurs
    (Mount Kenya University, 2018) Matambalya, Francis A.S.T.
    Business acceleration is essential for guiding enterprises through ‘business adolescence’ and into ‘business maturity’ stages of their development. This presentation will revisit the concept of business acceleration, to discuss how it is related to the concept of business development, and to review the roles that transnational diaspora entrepreneurs (TDEs) can play in the process of business acceleration in the African context. Three points, which mark reality in literally all African countries, set the paper’s accent: First, for both for new and growing firms, in literally all African countries, access to capital is a big challenge. As a result, self- financing is the main source of business finance for the overwhelming majority of entrepreneurs. TDEs own financial capacities, business knowledge & skills and strategic networks as well as linkages to business financing institutions can be leveraged to overcome this challenge. Second, there is an evident void in terms of business knowledge and skills. For instance, business plans usually do not satisfy the stringent criteria for business financing. Moreover, empirical studies suggest that finance per se is not the central issue of Africa’s venture’s success or failure; rather, the entrepreneur’s knowledge and skills, which hinder them to articulate business ideas properly and consequently, limit their chances to access finance. In this case as well, empirical evidence demonstrates that TDEs possess the requisite business knowledge and skills which can be tapped to benefit the African entrepreneur. Third, TDEs are usually engaged in strategic networks. These networks contribute to business acceleration, by addressing market gaps associated with, inter alia: business knowledge and skills, business transaction costs, efficiency in resource use, etc. In contrast, African firms lack this aspect of strategic social capital, which is obviously, one of the necessary conditions for success in business. The discourse on leveraging TDEs to accelerate business in Africa therefore builds on three key business assets, which TDEs possess: access to business financial resources, broad and in-depth business knowledge and skills, ownership and/or social capital in the form of strategic networks. The discourse focuses on and demonstrates the potential for the TDEs to induce business acceleration through three channels: improvement of the scale of business, improvement of scope of business, and diversification of (both factor and product) markets.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Making Entrepreneurship Promotion in Post-Conflict Countries Work for University Graduates: Lessons Learnt from Rwanda
    (Mount Kenya University, 2018) Nshimiyimana, Gonzalves; Matambalya, Francis A.S.T.
    For a post-crisis country, Rwanda’s socio-economic performance is highly appraised. Its business environ¬ment is greatly apprecia¬ted by diverse local and international stakeholders. However, it also faces insurmountable challenges. While stakeholders lament about lack of skilled workforce in all domains, youth unemployment remains prevalent. Apparently, Universities are not producing the right people for the labour market. This situation can, to a very large extent, be attributed to the fact that the country’s educational system, like many other things, is in a transition phase. The government has responded with an initiative to create entrepreneurship centres (ECs) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Alongside ECs, other key elements of entrepreneurship promotion initiative include: initiation of different entrepreneurship platforms (trade fairs, study tours, etc.), integration of entrepreneurship education and training in the curricula of HEIs. In spite of these positive developments, which are in line with country’s orientation and market demands, there is still a disconnection between what the HEIs do, and what the labour market wants. From this backdrop, the paper reflects on what can be done to reconcile the work of ECs and labour market needs. Using a purposive sampling approach, six incubators – three each from state-owned HEIs and private HEIs - were selected and analysed. Also, six managers, and six owner-managers represented the market side. Structured questionnaires were developed and personal interviews were used to collect data and information. On the basis of the findings, the paper recommends key strategies for success