Our research coordinator Milou Derks just returned from two inspiring weeks of fieldwork in Senegal. As part of RVO’s ongoing research into twin transitions in Africa—exploring how digital and green innovations are reshaping key sectors—Milou connected with innovative entrepreneurs, visited pioneering initiatives and gained valuable insights into the dynamics of Senegal’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
She also conducted interviews and site visits for our Orange Corners research project on scaling digitally enabled entrepreneurs in agriculture and waste. These entrepreneurs are doing incredible things with limited resources—digitising agri-value chains, recycling, creating jobs and contributing to a more sustainable future. Among others, Milou visited Ibriz, a solar energy company expanding renewable access in off-grid communities and SenFrais, a logistics startup reducing food loss through affordable refrigerated transport and storage.
Together with her co-authors Francesca Ciulli (Tilburg University), Adenike Adeyemi (FATE Foundation) and Richard van Hoolwerff (Orange Corners), will be sharing first insights from this research at the New Business Models Conference in Reykjavík 🇮🇸 this June. Their short paper, “Exploring the Role of Resourcefulness in the Growth of African Digital Enterprises”, looks at how West African entrepreneurs creatively mobilise resources to scale their ventures—despite systemic constraints.
Why this matters? Because growth isn’t just about access to capital—it’s about building capabilities, leveraging creativity and fostering meaningful connections. These entrepreneurs are proving how powerful resourcefulness can be in driving inclusive, sustainable development.
