Economic Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa, Volume II: Institutions and Informal Sector Productivity

Despite the growing population and significant natural resources of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), economies in that region currently represent only 2% of global GDP. Finished goods are imported to Africa from the US, Europe, China and Japan, while commodities remain the primary export. Addressing this balance must be the primary focus of initiatives to foster economic growth and development across the region in the coming years. However, there is currently a lack of intellectual discourse that incorporates diverse firm-level and institutional-level theories, as well as the stakeholder perspective, to explain the transformation of Sub-Saharan Africa into a production economy. This two-volume edited work brings together scholars of business in Africa and economic transformation to discuss topics including the knowledge economy, inter-regional relations, supply chains, the informal economy, the service sector and more, creating a broad and probing analysis of Africa’s potential for transformation and strategies to achieve it.

This second volume explores the relationship between institutions and sectoral productivity in SSA, emphasising the need for policies that integrate informal economy players into the formal structure to enhance socio-economic development. The volume suggest that strong governance, aligned policies, and the inclusion of informal sector innovations are crucial for improving productivity and achieving sustainable economic transformation in SSA. It will be of interest to scholars of business in Africa, international business, developing economies, business strategy and innovation.

Ayodotun Stephen Ibidunni is a Senior Lecturer at Chrisland University, Nigeria. His research interests are Strategic Management, Operations Management, and Entrepreneurship in developing economies. He has published widely in international journals, including Technological Forecasting and Social Change, the Journal of Technology Transfer, among others. He has received several local and international awards for his scholarship. He is the Chair of the International Centre for Policy Research and Industry Linkages (ICePRIL).

Evans S. Osabuohien is a Professor of Economics at Covenant University, Nigeria, and the Founding Chair of DePECOS Institutions and Development Research Centre (DIaDeRC). He is the author of five books and over 210 articles. He has consulted for many international agencies such as ACBF, AERC, CODESRIA, IFPRI, J-PAL, UNU-WIDER, UNCTAD, among others. He is a member of many Professional Associations. He is a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (since 2012) and the Swedish Institute (since 2009), among many others. He is also a visiting professor at institutions within and outside Africa.