This study provides empirical evidence on the type of incentives available to firms in Nigeria’s special economic zones (SEZs), their effects (or otherwise) on innovation activities at the firm-level, and the extent to which the incentives at SEZs have affected innovation capacity and export performance of firms. Primary data, which were analysed through descriptive statistics, logistic regression and two-stage least square estimator, was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and interview guides administered to firms and other key stakeholders involved in the implementation of industrial policy affecting SEZs. The results of the study suggest that the number of incentives offered to SEZ firms does not really matter for improved firm-level innovation and export performance. Firms in the SEZs are driven by economic imperatives that are not necessarily determined by the strength of the SEZ incentives. The implementation of the SEZ incentives is perceived to be weak and ineffective by firms both within and outside the SEZs. Export performance of firms in the SEZs is poor because firms do not comply with the basic tenet of SEZ as an area dedicated to free trade and mandatory export of manufactures from the free trade enclave. Whereas the SEZs initiative has notably attracted FDI to Nigeria and fairly improved innovation capacity of firms, the SEZ incentives have no significant influence on export performance of firms in the SEZs.

Purpose –The study aims to examine the level of effectiveness of specific innovation capability strategies in enhancing small enterprises survival during crisis period and the interaction effect of environmental uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach– The research design adopted an interpretivism epistemological orientation and a quantitative method study approach. The units of analysis are individual-level data from business owners and managers of small businesses. Employing a non-probability random sampling technique, primary data from 390 small enterprise owners in Lagos State were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed statistically through descriptive statistics, linear regression model, and inferential analysis.

Findings – The study reveal that innovation capability, product innovation, organizational innovation, and marketing innovation have significant effect on enterprise survival whilst process innovation, innovation culture, and innovation resource were found not significant. Also, the study suggests that environmental uncertainty does not moderate the effect of innovation capability on enterprise survival.

Research limitations– Exploration of the influence of organizational climate, sectoral study, and wider boundaries may provide more insights into the specific dynamics of the relationship between innovation capability and enterprise survival.

Practical and social implications– Enterprises can leverage technology and innovation capability strategies to enhance growth and survival during crises. They should review business models, transform traditional approaches to tech-driven, foster an innovation-supportive climate, and utilize artificial intelligence. The study highlights the need for policy reforms to improve business capacity and access to R&D and digital initiatives. Collaboration among policymakers, developmental agencies, and donors is crucial for establishing innovation hubs and providing grants to support MSMEs' resilience and growth.

Originality/value – This study provides insights into the significance of innovation capabilities and its product innovation, organizational innovation, marketing innovation, process innovation, innovation culture, and innovation strategies in enhancing small enterprise survival during crisis period.

Keywords Crisis, Environmental Uncertainty, Innovation capability, MSMEs, Resilience.

Paper type Research paper

The world seeks alternative and sustainable paths that would not only ameliorate the negative effects of climate change but also improve global economic production. One clear suggestion in the body of knowledge is the adoption of circular economy, away from the usual linear economic system (LES). Despite immense benefits of circular economy model of production and its adoption in the developed countries, its prevalent in Africa, particularly in Nigeria appears slow. This study therefore seeks to empirically assess the influence of circular economy strategy implementation on financial performance of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 206 enterprises in Lagos State through a cross-sectional survey. The main instrument for data collection was a validated questionnaire. The results showed that the implementation of circular economy at the strategic level is highly likely to improve financial performance by a factor of 36%. Reduce and reuse strategies also showed the likelihood of improving financial performance by factors of 8% and 34% respectively. Another variable with significant contribution to financial performance is the deployment of digital technologies. The Pseudo R-Square of 0.21 shows that the model is moderately fit as per logit regression. However, it also indicates that there are other external factors that are responsible for financial performance beyond circularity. Practical implications of the results are drawn and appropriate recommendations formulated.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has made rapid progress in recent years. Specifically, digitalization in agriculture remains one of the most important developments to meet the growing economic, ecological and social demands in the agri-food sector of developing countries. The objective of this work is to analyse the impact of AI adoption on food insecurity in Africa. Using several recent impact analysis methods, we conducted the empirical analysis on a panel of 54 African countries over the period 1990-2022. Several results emerge. First, the adoption of AI on average significantly reduces food insecurity in Africa. The application of AI in the agri-food sector helps to increase the ef iciency, productivity and resilience of food systems. Aside from the optimism of ered by the adoption and use of AI to combat food insecurity, disparities remain between countries. African countries would do well to invest more in high-tech infrastructures but also to increase the number of partnerships between African and international players to capitalise on modern technological knowledge to achieve the goal of hunger zero.

Biomass-based value web concept is becoming recognized more and more as a practical strategy for enhancing household livelihood security in sub-Saharan Africa. There is, however, little data on how it affects the livelihood security of households. Therefore, this study was conducted to further the body of evidence already available on the important impact of the biomass value web on household livelihood security in Africa as a whole and Nigeria in particular. The study's broad objective was to look at the impact of participation in maize biomass value we bon the livelihood security of farming households. A sample of 288 maize farmers in Niger and Nasarawa states of Nigeria were chosen randomly through multi-stage sampling technique, and they were then administered a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, a livelihood security analysis, and the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) technique were the statistical methods employed for the analysis. The study found that, a unit increase in the index of maize usage brings about 10% increase in economic security (p < 0.05) and 17%increase in food security (p < 0.05) of the households. The study concluded that households that innovatively intensified usage within the maize biomass value web have improved livelihood security.

Building on the theory of perceived attributes of innovation and the economic theory of utility maximization, this study evaluates the effects of adopting area yield index-insurance (AYII) on the use of stress-tolerant maize technology. We also identify factors influencing the adoption and intensity of AYII. A stratified random sampling technique was employed in the selection of respondents. Descriptive statistics, a double hurdle model, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data collected. The descriptive statistics showed that the majority of the farmers were male, the average age was 50 and 52 for AYII adopters and non-adopters respectively, and an average farm size of 2 acres and 1.5 acres respectively for AYII adopters and non-adopters. The double hurdle model reveals that factors such as age, marital status, years of education, household size, land tenure, group membership, and training on financial innovations influenced the decision to adopt AYII while only farming experience influenced the intensity of adoption. In addition, the adoption of AYII significantly influenced the use of STM technology. It was therefore recommended that area yield index insurance be promoted through intensive awareness creation and education to ensure wider coverage and extension to other farmers beyond the study area. Similarly, training should also be organized for farmers through collaborative efforts with financial institutions regarding the use of financial institutions to enhance their smooth access to financial innovations.

This study analyzed the determinants of agri-technology development, planned commercialization, and researchers’ intention to transfer agri-technologies in 9 public research institutions in Ghana. The study used cross-sectional survey data from 188 participants, including students, faculty, and researchers. This study suggests to policymakers and managers of research and higher learning institutions to advance innovation and commercialization as part of their societal mandate in the fourth industrial revolution. Factors that influenced researchers’ intention to commercialize agri-technologies are type of research institution, cost of developing a technology, level of education, specialization, collaborations with research institutions in Ghana, partnerships with agribusinesses for agri-technology adoption, motivation for technology development, and type of technology. The study recommends that to advance agri-technology commercialization in Ghana, Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) across the country could create a networking and knowledge-sharing platform among researchers in Ghana and also improve the co-creation of research ideas with agribusinesses.

The development of effective Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) strategies is critical for national progress, especially in aligning with long-term development plans like Africa's Agenda 2063. This paper investigates the impact of the enabler framework of STI indicators in supporting Nigeria towards the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan (STYIP) using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to project trends from 2019 to 2035. For the first time, AI-driven forecasts are employed to analyze the interplay between human capital (HC) and key economic indicators, including sectoral growth, economic investment, trade, infrastructure access, and regulatory frameworks. Our research identifies significant trends and relationships across these domains. We found a concerning decline in workforce capabilities, evidenced by a drop in staff training scores from 3.27 in 2019 to 2.79 by 2035. Conversely, the gross enrolment ratio in tertiary education shows a modest increase from 12.24% in 2019 to 14.48% by 2035, yet it still falls short of the STYIP target of 50% by 2033. The adult literacy rate is projected to decline from 61% to 45%, emphasizing the urgent need for educational reforms. Notably, a perfect negative Pearson correlation of -1.000 between trade and infrastructure indicators reveals a strong inverse relationship, indicating critical challenges in balancing these areas. These findings illustrate the importance of strategic investments and policy interventions in reinforcing Nigeria's STI enablers. Our results highlight the pivotal role of infrastructure development, especially in ICT, energy, and transport, in reducing transaction costs and boosting productivity. Moreover, aligning education and training (E&T) with industry demands is essential for sustaining sectoral growth and enhancing economic performance. This study contributes to the broader understanding of STI indicator's role in providing a direction for achieving development objectives, providing actionable insights for STI policy formulation for policymakers to drive Nigeria’s progress towards the STYIP and Africa's Agenda 2063 goals.

Innovation ecosystems are characterised by a high degree of complexity. Existing literature highlights the importance of collaboration and idea sharing across different disciplines and between actors in the pursuit of innovation. This paper examines the health of innovation ecosystems in South Africa by evaluating the roles of each of the quadruple helix (Q4) actors and discusses the mechanisms available for collaboration. The paper utilises an extensive literature review to determine who the actors in each of the four helices are and critically analyse what role they are currently playing in the innovation ecosystem. The paper concludes that while South Africa's innovation ecosystem is well-developed, further efforts are required to strengthen various elements of the ecosystem before it can be considered healthy.

The global business environment is witnessing a growing trend in the adoption of management system standards, exemplified by ISO 9001 (quality management series) and ISO 14001 (environmental management). This study analyses the impacts of ISO management system adoption on firm performance, leveraging firm-level data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey across selected East African countries. Our results indicate a robust positive and significant effect of ISO management standards adoption and productivity, as well as notable improvements in both indirect and direct export sales performance for adopting firms. However, a negative effect is observed in the domestic market performance of adopters. We propose that the positive outcomes are linked to signaling mechanisms, technology lock-in effects, and an augmented awareness and learning curve among employees. Conversely, the adverse impact on domestic market performance may be attributed to the quality preferences of local buyers and deficiencies in local competitive practices. These findings remain robust across alternative estimation strategies. Our empirical results suggest that there may be potential benefits in considering government involvement to complement firms' efforts in the adoption of management standards and addressing instances of potentially unfair local competition. Moreover, proactive measures aimed at promoting product quality standardization among stakeholders in the East African region could better position firms to gain from global market participation and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Reducing climate vulnerability remains a global challenge. However, most developing countries and African countries in particular, are more vulnerable to climate change. Technological innovation, which is proving its worth in developed countries, can help reduce this climate vulnerability. The aim of this study is therefore to analyze the effect of technological innovation on climate vulnerability in a sample of 32 African countries over the period from 1995 to 2020. We combine different identification strategies and the following results are established. First, using driscoll and kray and two step system generalized method of moment, we find evidence that technological innovation reduce climate vulnerability. Second, we show that the effect of technological innovation is heterogeneous to the level of income. More specifically, we show that while technological innovation reduce climate vulnerability in high income countries, it is not the case of lower income countries. Third, the effect of technological innovation on climate vulnerability varies according to the evolution of climatic vulnerability. Fourth we find that the quality of institutions reduce the good effects of technological innovation on climate vulnerability. African economies would therefore benefit from boosting technological innovation and improving their institutional frameworks to reduce their vulnerability to climate change

It is evident that climate innovation is significant to transition from high carbon emitting to zero carbon emitting electricity generation in the power sector to achieve the net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goal by 2050. Globally, solar PV technology is a leading climate technology innovation driving the energy sector to reach climate neutrality, but little is known about the factors that influences the adoption in Nigeria. The main purpose of this study was to identify the factors to influence households interest in solar PV technology in Lagos state to advance the progress of the adoption in Nigeria. Quantitative survey research design with multi stage, purposive, simple random and snowballing sampling techniques were employed. A total of 585 valid responses comprising of 230 adopters and 355 potential adopters were analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 3.0. Built on diffusion of innovation theory the study revealed that consumer independent judgment making, observability, complexity, trust in PV industry, trust in social network and social curiosity had significant influence on household interest in solar PV technology adoption. The research concludes that the factors of innovativeness, characteristics of the innovation, communication channels and the mediator, social curiosity stimulated interest in solar PV adoption in Lagos state. The implications of the findings are formulating of public policies that will promote adoption and the development of marketing strategies for solar PV technology.

In Nigeria, despite efforts to improve agricultural productivity, Postharvest Losses (PHL) continue to threaten the nutrition and livelihood security of the populace. This study was conducted to ascertain farmers’ access to resources for postharvest handling of cassava and their level of involvement in postharvest management of cassava from a gender perspective. Data were obtained through the use of a structured interview schedule from 256 smallholder cassava farmers selected using a four-stage sampling procedure involving both the simple random and stratified random sampling techniques. Descriptive and inferential (independent t-test) statistics were used in analysing the data. Findings revealed that the mean age of the female and male cassava farmers was 39 years and 42 years, respectively. Years of education were lower among female farmers 4.10 years while males had an average of 6.37 years of education. The average household size for the female respondents was nine people while the male respondent had an average of seven household members. Years of processing experience were 10.60 years for females, while males had an average of 9.26 years. Majority of the men (90.2%) and women (81.6%) had farming as their primary occupation, with farming experience of average 10.74 and 11.35 years respectively. The average farm size of females was 2.76 hectares while males had a comparatively higher 3.22 hectares of farmland. Female farmers have more access to resources for processing cassava including skills (M.S= 2.79) than male farmers with mean score of 2.44. Female farmers are more involved in Cassava postharvest management with mean score of (3.01) than male farmers with mean score of (1.71). The most severe challenges encountered by both the male and female farmers in postharvest management of cassava were inadequate modern processing equipment, inadequate technical knowledge of modern processing techniques in cases where equipment exists. Access to resources (t=7.320) and involvement (t=3.597) in postharvest management of cassava are significant. Access to resources and involvement in postharvest management of cassava between male and female smallholder farmers differ. The study recommended gender-responsive postharvest management interventions to address these differences.

The world's leading cashew nut producer, with 1,200,000 tonnes by 2022, Ivorian productivity of raw cashew nuts remains low, fluctuating between 350 and 500 kg/ha, due to poor application of good production practices. The objectives of this study are to examine the relationship between producers' perceptions and the decision to adopt good agricultural practices, and to determine the determinants of the adoption and the intensity of adoption of good agricultural practices. To this end, the probit and poisson regression models were applied to data collected from 845 cashew producers in Cote d’Ivoire. Results showed that the most widely adopted good agricultural practices were plot preparation, direct seeding, shaping pruning, firebreak strips, thinning and pruning. Estimates from the probit model show that the training of producers in the cashew technical itinerary, the supervision of producers by extension services and producers' perceptions are the main factors determining the adoption of all good agricultural practices. Results from the poisson regression and the negative binomial model show that sex, level of education, social background, training and access to extension services influence the adoption of several good agricultural practices. Policy should prioritize expanding training programs and strengthening extension services to enhance adoption of Good Agricultural Practices among cashew nut producers to improved cashew production yield in Africa.

The Cashew nut value chain contributes significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product. However, less than one-fifth of its processing capacity is currently being utilised. This qualitative study therefore examined the opportunities for innovation and social inclusion in the cashew nut value chain. Participants were drawn from Southwest Nigeria, a region known for its contributions to the cashew nut industry through production, processing, procurement and exportation activities. By means of a combination of purposive and snowballing sampling techniques, 14 key informants were identified and interviewed using a guide. Data were collected on their experience in the cashew nut value chain as well as their constraints, membership of professional associations, and the raw materials and final cashew products in their enterprises. Data were analysed thematically using NVIVO 14. The study found out that males and youths were more involved in the cashew nut value chain, creating more opportunities for female involvement. Also, there were opportunities for product and process innovation as well as forward and backward integration mechanisms to maximise the gains in the cashew nut value chain.

This paper examined the gender differences in the determinants of innovation performance among male and female-owned enterprises in Nigeria’s informal sector. This is based on the assumption that the needs, concern and resources available to male and female business owners in the informal sector are different. Using a binary logit model, and other post-estimation analysis, the study uses data from about 1800 enterprises in four main activities in the informal sector - metal fabrication, shea butter production, ICT (phone repair) and leather works to explore the gender differences on innovation performance. To explore further nuances, the study assessed the contingency impacts of gender and education, industry association, and use of social media on innovation performance. The study found gender differences in innovation implemented by male and female-owned enterprises. However, the study found male-owned enterprises to be more innovative than female-owned in cases of product innovation. While educated male-entrepreneurs have higher likelihood of introducing product innovations, education, measured by completion of diploma or having certifications was found to more impactful on female-owned businesses. Similarly, male-owned firms leveraging on industry associations have more likelihood of implementing product innovations. More importantly, industry associations have a greater impact on the likelihood of implementing product innovations by male-owned firms.

The study examined the forms of technology alliances in the bakery industry in Osun State, Nigeria and assessed the effect of technology alliance on the performance of the bakery industry. The study was carried out in Osun State located in the Southwest area of Nigeria. The target population for the study consists of indigenous bakeries. Primary data were collected from 120 bakery owners in selected towns namely Oshogbo, Ile Ife and Ilesha using snowball technique and administered questionnaire. The reason for this is that the major producers of bread in the state are located in these cities. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

It was revealed that 83.3% of the 120 respondents engaged in alliances with people of related business and 48.4% alliance through their business group, 41.7% also had collaborations with a particular supplier of the raw materials while 16.7% engaged in technical alliance with similar business owner. Equipment leasing type of alliance was 10.8%. The study concluded there is an existence of technology alliance within the indigenous bakeries in the study area. Also, the alliances were very beneficial to the indigenous bakeries and led to increase in sales of the enterprises.

This paper explores the key characteristics and attributes of women undertaking Hi-technology entrepreneurship within the fast rising 4th industrial revolution in Africa. Based on a narrative inquiry into the lived experiences of 12 female participants in selected marker spaces in Johannesburg and Nairobi, the findings highlight how these women leverage on their natural attributes, combined with a variety of rhetoric strategies and managerial competencies to gain legitimacy and overcome structural barriers and constraints they face in transformative innovation, in order to succefully exploit their entrepreneurial potential. The paper contributes towards the growing literature on gender and innovation and could guide strategic policy interventions towards enhancing the participation of women in fast rising the 4th industrial revolution.