A DISTINGUISHED LECTURE 2020

AFRICAPITALISM AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA

OVERVIEW:

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have become the new development paradigm, which are increasingly globalised. However, in order to make progress with the SDGs in Africa, given the unique circumstances of the continent, it is necessary to rethink the underlying economic philosophies upon which these goals are expected to be met in Africa. This requires a reimagined economic philosophy. This is where Africapitalism comes in. Simply put, Africapitalism is an economic philosophy that embodies the private sector’s commitment to the economic transformation of Africa through investments that generate both economic prosperity and social wealth. Thus, it is important to understand how Africapitalism, as an economic philosophy, can guide businesses and entrepreneurs to strike a balance between their traditional goal of profitability and the societal goal of sustainable development. Specifically, can the tenets of Africapitalism help businesses and entrepreneurs in Africa act in a way that aligns them with the sustainable development of the continent? The presentation will build on previous works and demonstrate how the tenets of Africapitalism could potentially guide business and entrepreneurs to achieve sustainable development in Africa. It challenges scholars to approach the issue of sustainable development in Africa from a nascent, alternative and perhaps more suitable theoretical lens.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER:

Professor Kenneth Amaeshi is a leading intellectual proponent of Africapitalism as an alternative economic philosophy for Africa. He joined the University of Edinburgh in 2010. He is currently Chair in Business and Sustainable Development and Director of the Sustainable Business Initiative of the University of Edinburgh. Read more about him here: https://www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/staff/kenneth-amaeshi.