How can we support and scale the impact of young innovators in fragile settings? This new study, initiated by Orange Corners in collaboration with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, INCLUDE and the African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL), explores the role of youth entrepreneurship in dealing with uncertainty and fragility and offers recommendations for policy makers and entrepreneurial support organisations on how to best cater to their needs.
Youth-led enterprises in particular are recognised for their positive contribution to solving local and global challenges. However, the ability of young entrepreneurs to innovate and scale their ideas to a large extent depends on the ecosystem’s capacity to sustain and allow their enterprises to flourish. And in many African countries, these ecosystems are to some extent fragile.
Faced with challenges such as high inflation, political instability and war, we need to better understand how young entrepreneurs innovate in fragile contexts and what they need to further develop their businesses. By turning to young entrepreneurs in fragile settings, we can learn more about innovation in uncertainty and its impact. Comparing fragile state Sudan with relatively stable Ghana, our researchers explore how young Orange Corners participants navigate uncertainty through social and digital innovation.
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