Scholars Call for Business, Tech and Sustainability Convergence to Transform African Entrepreneurship
By Renancy Remmy, CMU
African universities, policymakers, and business leaders have been urged to strengthen the link between business, technology, and sustainability to drive competitive and resilient enterprises across the continent.
The call was made on 15th January 2026 during the 20th International Conference on African Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (ICAESB), hosted by the University of Dar es Salaam through its Business School (UDBS).
The conference brought together scholars, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and industry leaders from across Africa and beyond to explore strategies for transforming businesses in a rapidly changing global economy.
Welcoming participants on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. William A. L. Anangisye, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Prof. Nelson Boniface, described the 20th edition of ICAESB as a significant milestone.
“For the past two decades, ICAESB has served as a critical bridge between research, policy, and practice. It reflects our commitment to research that delivers real impact, particularly in supporting the growth and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises across Africa”, Prof. Boniface said.
Officially opening the conference, the Guest of Honour, Dr. Baraka R. Mdima, Deputy Director General of the Tanzania Ports Authority, challenged African businesses to rethink traditional models and embrace innovation-driven transformation.
“Business and technology can no longer be treated as separate domains. Digital transformation is now central to growth, competitiveness, and regional integration,” Dr. Mdima said.
He further emphasised that sustainability has become an urgent imperative for business survival. “Industries that fail to adopt environmentally responsible practices risk becoming obsolete. Building sustainable enterprises is no longer a choice; it is a necessity”.
Dr. Mdima linked the conference theme, ‘Transforming Businesses for Sustainable Development,’ to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the University of Dar es Salaam Vision 2061, noting that entrepreneurship must now integrate environmental responsibility, social inclusion, and long-term economic resilience.
He also drew attention to the persistent gap between academic research and practical business application.
“While conferences generate valuable knowledge, research findings often do not reach businesses in usable or actionable formats. Universities must strengthen knowledge-transfer mechanisms and deepen collaboration with industry so that research can meaningfully inform policy and enterprise development,” he said.
Small and medium-sized enterprises as backbone of African economies
Highlighting the central role of entrepreneurship, Dr. Mdima noted that small and medium-sized enterprises remain the backbone of African economies, driving job creation, income generation, and economic diversification.
“Innovation has no limits. Entrepreneurship holds immense potential to improve livelihoods and build more inclusive and equitable societies,” he observed.
He encouraged African entrepreneurs to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by thinking beyond national borders, while emphasising the importance of efficient transport and logistics systems, including port operations, as enablers of regional and global trade.
Reinforcing the importance of collaboration, Prof. Omari Mbura, Dean of the Business School, underscored ICAESB’s role as a platform for action-oriented engagement.
“This conference is not just about ideas; it is about solutions. Our goal is to generate practical strategies that help businesses adopt technology, respond to climate change, and strengthen collaboration between universities and industry,” Prof. Mbura said.
The conference featured 60 research paper presentations and four keynote addresses, significantly enriching academic discourse, strengthening research collaboration, and promoting the exchange of evidence-based solutions to Africa’s entrepreneurial challenges.
More than an academic forum, the 20th ICAESB was widely described as a catalyst for transforming Africa’s business landscape. Participants set for a renewed commitment to ensuring that research translates into practice, technology drives enterprise growth, and sustainability remains central to Africa’s development agenda.