Conference Agenda

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.