Globally, small and medium enterprises (SME) entrepreneurs were hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent measures such as lockdowns and market closures. Africa was no exception. Entrepreneurial intentions and activities were expected to have a broad downturn with established entrepreneurs being forced to downsize or quit their businesses, while fewer novel entrepreneurs entered the market and started their own companies. At the same time, entrepreneurship is considered one of the few viable options to ensure an income during uncertain economic times. Furthermore, the Covid-19 crisis was said to drive innovation and technological advancements globally, and perhaps even more so in Africa due to its young demographic. This edited volume includes insights gathered during the 2021 NVAS Africa Day which had the theme: ‘entrepreneurial responses to Covid-19 in Africa.’ This volume shines a light on two broader themes: entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial resilience in Africa in times of Covid-19. The conference was organized by NVAS (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Afrikastudies) and the African Studies Centre of Leiden University. The first two chapters consider whether the pandemic and its broader consequences increase entrepreneurial intentions. Is entrepreneurship a pathway out of the crisis for individuals, providing an income and financial stability in a stressed labour market? Or have individuals turned away from entrepreneurship due to the risk and a lack of start-up funds and subsequent investments? The final two chapters consider how the Covid-19 pandemic spurred entrepreneurial resilience and innovation in terms of new products, markets, and strategies. Together, these studies provide a cross-sectional and cross-methodological anthology of entrepreneurial responses to Covid-19 in Africa. With contributions from Neema Komba, Chanyoung Park, Lotte-Marie Brouwer, Magnus Godvik Ekeland, Hanaâ Benchrifa, Steven Kator Iorfa and Maud van Merriënboer.

The African Church and COVID-19: Human Security, the Church, and Society in Kenya is a bold and incisive look at the African Church in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the book, contributors explore how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragilities of African society as well as the weaknesses in the Church’s role in helping and serving African communities. The African Church and COVID-19 analyzes the question of how the Church in Kenya should move forward in a post-COVID-19 era to address the vulnerabilities of socio-economic and political structures in Africa.

With this book, the author offers a personal look at some of the landmark policies, people, and institutions that have shaped Africa's post-independence history - and will continue to shape its future. It is a true inside account - told from a very personal perspective - of the evolution of African development over the last five decades.

Africa’s Development Dynamics uses lessons learned in the continent’s five regions – Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa – to develop policy recommendations and share good practices. Drawing on the most recent statistics, this analysis of development dynamics attempts to help African leaders reach the targets of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 at all levels: continental, regional, national and local.

Has South Africa ‘done well’ at limiting illness and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic? Academic and political commentator, Steven Friedman, thinks not. While the country’s mainstream media believes it has, in his view the evidence tells another story. South Africa has experienced by far the most cases and deaths in Africa – at one point as many as the rest of the continent combined. One Virus, Two Countries: What Covid-19 tells us about South Africa offers a searing analysis of government and expert scientists’ responses to the pandemic. Friedman argues that South Africa is two societies in one – a ‘First World’ which resembles Western Europe and North America, and a ‘Third World’ which looks much like the rest of Africa or South Asia. The South African state, the media and the scientific community have largely tried to deal with the virus through a ‘First World’ lens in which much of the country was either invisible or a problem – not a partner. Friedman argues this approach prevented the country from responding in a way which would have protected most citizens. This is why case numbers and deaths are so high: South Africa has done worse than the rest of Africa not despite the fact that it has a ‘more developed’ health system, but because it does. One Virus, Two Countries is a controversial book that will rouse much needed debate about South Africa’s health and economic system in a context of serious inequality.

Africa welcomes business investment and offers some of the world's highest returns and impacts Africa has tremendous economic potential and offers rewarding opportunities for global businesses looking for new markets and long-term investments with favorable returns. Africa has been one of the world's fastest-growing regions over the past decade, and by 2030 will be home to nearly 1.7 billion people and an estimated $6.7 trillion worth of consumer and business spending. Increased political stability in recent years and improving regional integration are making market access easier, and business expansion will generate jobs for women and youth, who represent the vast majority of the population. Current economic growth and poverty-alleviation efforts mean that more than 43 percent of the continent's people will reach middle- or upper-class status by 2030. Unlocking Africa's Business Potential examines business opportunities in the eight sectors with the highest potential returns on private investment—the same sectors that will foster economic growth and diversification, job creation, and improved general welfare. These sectors include: consumer markets, agriculture and agriprocessing, information and communication technology, manufacturing, oil and gas, tourism, banking, and infrastructure and construction. The book's analysis of these sectors is based on case studies that identify specific opportunities for investment and growth, along with long-term market projections to inform decision-making. The book identifies potential risks to business and offers mitigation strategies. It also provides policymakers with solutions to attract new business investments, including how to remove barriers to business and accelerate development of the private sector.