Search

The study presents results from an investigative study undertaken at the Kenyatta University (KU) Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre. A total of 10 incubates representing 10 projects were engaged in face to face interviews. The incubates were appreciative of the value that incubation centre such as the one at KU contributed to stimulation and nurturing of innovation and creativity. The findings from the study re-affirms the role of incubation centres play as social capital networking platforms, providing access to infrastructure (space and equipment), access to seed funding, expertise, mentorship, leveraging access to markets, business skills development. The study findings identified areas that need attention which include improvement and realignment of general curriculum towards innovation and creativity. This approach thus departs from the pro left brain approach balancing with a right brain approach promoting creativity and innovation.

The purpose of this research was to make comparative study of the development and review process of the entrepreneurship curriculum at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) Faculty of Commerce and Botho University, (BU) Faculty of Business and Accounting in Gaborone, Botswana. The study focused on the processes and influences of curriculum development and review as well as on what skills graduates of the programme are expected to have after successfully completing the programme. A sample of 16 staff members from the UZ and 23 staff members from BU participated in the study. Results of the study showed that lecturers at the two institutions are the main drivers of curricula development and review. Major factors considered in curriculum design included students, industry needs, legislation, competition as well as external examiners. The findings also recommended courses which should be taught from first year which include Small Business Management, Entrepreneurial Skills Development, Introduction to Finance and Economics.

This study explored the obstacles that informal innovators encounter in product development, prototyping, commercialization and adoption of informal innovations in Zimbabwe. Altogether 20 informal innovators were purposively selected, interviewed and observed. Key findings are that the lack of knowledge of intellectual property rights stifle their innovation and creativity, as most innovators rely on copying designs of products that are already on the market. Their lack of knowledge of intellectual property protection rights and poor marketing platforms and strategies have limited the profits of informal innovators as they succumb to the predatory tendencies of large formal enterprises who purchase their products, repackage them, claim ownership and resell them for bigger profits. Informal innovators lack opportunities for appropriate training and most of their expertise is based on experience and on-the-job training. Due to their lack of support from financial institutions, universities and the private sector, informal businesses and innovations have experienced stunted growth, poor product quality and profit margins despite the existence of policies to promote and protect them. Appropriate incentives are needed for informal innovators, together with policy enforcement mechanisms and their integration with other institutions, such as the private sector and universities, to improve the development, adoption and the marketing of informal innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is weak evidence on the sustainability of mobile Health (mHealth) interventions in antenatal care programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. This study reviews the factors that hinder the scale up of mobile (mHealth) technologies in antenatal care programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Science Direct a systematic review was conducted during the period July–October 2018 of peer-reviewed literature on mHealth innovations in antenatal care programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. Two review authors independently assessed all studies against the inclusion criteria. Results: The searches identified a total of 144 resources for screening, of which 15 articles met the inclusion criteria. Conclusion: The absence of robust data to support a scale up to sustainability, such as costing and cost-effectiveness data, has hindered a transition beyond the pilot phase and for achieving economies of scale. Limited experience with mHealth technologies in landlocked and underdeveloped countries such as South Sudan, Rwanda and Somalia has also slowed down scale up. Low mobile penetration and high cell phone rates has rendered the scale up of mHealth interventions unsustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]