A HANDBOOK OF STRATEGIES <w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_0" id="2052158427"></w:sdt>IN AFRICA
Call for Additional <w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_3" id="954256495"></w:sdt>Book Chapter Proposals
Deadline: October 1, 2025<w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_4" id="-1573173772"></w:sdt> <w:sdt showingplchdr="t" sdttag="goog_rdk_5" id="1522255113"></w:sdt>
Editors:
Bernadine Dykes, Ph.D., CPA
Associate Dean of Graduate & Certificate Programs; Professor of Management
Shenandoah University School of Business, Winchester & Leesburg, VA, USA (bdykes@su.edu)
Ikenna Uzuegbunam, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management
Howard University School of Business, Washington DC, USA (ikenna.uzuegbunam@howard.edu)
**The handbook will be published as part of the World Scientific Series in Management Strategies, Policies and Implementation. Series Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Gideon Markman**<w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr><w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_6" id="-272768929"></w:sdt>
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Book Description:
Africa is a fascinating and increasingly relevant context for management research and practice. Recent estimates indicate that Africa has the youngest and fastest-growing population, with the overall population expected to increase to 2.5 billion by 2050. Recent forecasts also show that Africa's youth population will rise as a share of the world's youth population from 19 percent to 33 percent between 2015 and 2050 (Dews, 2019). Consequently, the workforce in Africa is expected to grow by nearly 450 million people between 2010 and 2035 (George, Corbishley, Khayesi, Haas & Tihanyi, 2016). This population boom has the potential to unlock more than $3 trillion in consumer spending, according to a McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report (2023). In addition to this vast human capital potential, the increasing proliferation of information and communication technologies (George et al., 2016) and surge in global value chains in Africa implies significant opportunities for firms participating in growing, global sectors such as agriculture, energy, financial services, and information technology. These factors in the environment along with the human capital potential in Africa implies that African countries are uniquely positioned to be hubs for innovation and global business. Thus, businesses that misunderstand Africa run the risk of missing one of the 21st century's great growth opportunities.
<w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_33" id="1091629555"></w:sdt>Despite the impending growth unfolding on the continent, the existing management literature often suggests that Africa's businesses have tended to focus on short-term operational issues at the expense of long-term strategic imperatives and opportunities (e.g., Mellahi & Mol, 2015). These are fair criticisms considering limited evidence to the contrary. Indeed, the management literature on strategies (e.g., Pierce & Snyder, 2020; Uzuegbunam & Uzuegbunam, 2018) and innovations (e.g., Allard & Williams, 2020) in Africa is nascent. This limited perspective on the strategic activities of African based organizations overlooks the rich nuance and eclecticism of strategic activity on the continent. Africa's 54 countries present a rich, complex but under-<w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_34" id="1296484668"></w:sdt>examined background for management scholars (Nachum et al., 2023; Pierce & Snyder, 2020).
This handbook calls for a cross-sectoral and cross-national collection of perspectives and evidence regarding strategic initiatives that are stimulating and supporting businesses as they seek to grow and capitalize on opportunities in Africa in the 21st century. The book will focus on strategies across different types of organizations, including, but not limited to small, medium, or large firms, family firms, professional service firms, entrepreneurial start-ups, social enterprises, multinational enterprises, and public-private partnerships. We are open to strategies <w:sdtpr></w:sdtpr> <w:sdt showingplchdr="t" sdttag="goog_rdk_37" id="-1750804596"></w:sdt>across a myriad of industries and sectors, such as agriculture, sports, film, finance, technology, manufacturing, retail, etc. <w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_38" id="1444900366"></w:sdt>
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We received a good response to our first call for chapters. As a result, the first volume of the book is full. However, we are seeking additional submissions related to any of the specific topics listed below. In this new volume, we are particularly interested in papers focused at the firm/organizational or sub-organizational level. <w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_43" id="1823525123"></w:sdt>
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● How do Africa's organization manage strategic human capital?
● What resource combinations and orchestration strategies are African firms employing to capitalize on human, financial or natural resources on the continent?
● What forms of intellectual property strategies (including trade secrets) are employed to protect firms' assets in Africa?
● What alliance and merger and acquisition strategies between African firms and international firms are being used to stimulate organizational growth and opportunity?
● What interorganizational partnerships/collaborations (e.g., public-private partnerships) are being developed or used to capitalize on the continent's resources or geography?
● What business model strategies support the birth and growth of African firms?
● How do African firms leverage or deploy platform strategies?
● What strategies contribute to the formation, survival, and growth of social enterprises in Africa?
● <w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_61" id="353194889"><w:sdt showingplchdr="t" sdttag="goog_rdk_60" id="-1860241881"></w:sdt></w:sdt>Comparative analysis related to firm strategies:
o within and across African countries, cities, and rural areas.
o between firms in Africa and firms in other parts of the African diaspora (i.e., the Caribbean; Afro-Latino sectors and markets).
o between firms in Africa and firms in other parts of the world.
● What are the economic geography dimensions of strategy in Africa?
● How does national or organizational culture inhibit or encourage strategic activities in Africa?
● How do African firms construe strategic objectives, performance and success (e.g., social performance, environmental performance)?
Chapter proposals should be uploaded to the online submission system by October 1, 2025<w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_64" id="644507455"></w:sdt>. Contributions must be original, unpublished work. Though contributions may be empirical or conceptual, conceptual works (such as essays, etc.) should strive to leverage anecdotal or practical evidence to substantiate critical claims in the chapter. We welcome different empirical approaches including qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. We especially encourage submissions from African scholars.
All submissions should include a concrete analysis of implications for practice and/or public policy. Proposals should be submitted either in Microsoft Word or PDF formats with a maximum length of 30 pages (double-spaced). Authors are encouraged to follow the Academy of Management Journal Style Guide in preparing their submissions Academy of Management Journal STYLE GUIDE FOR AUTHORS.
Important Dates:
Deadline for proposal submissions – October 1, 2025<w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_66" id="571983621"></w:sdt> <w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_67" id="-2017435550"></w:sdt>
1st round reviews of papers completed – December 31, 2025<w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_68" id="-543557280"></w:sdt>
2nd round reviews of selected papers – February <w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_70" id="251632448"></w:sdt> 28, 2026<w:sdt sdttag="goog_rdk_72" id="-2000353116"></w:sdt>
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Dykes (bdykes@su.edu) or Dr. Uzuegbunam (ikenna.uzuegbunam@howard.edu).
References
Allard G., & Williams, C. 2020. National-level innovation in Africa. Research Policy, 49(7): 104074.
Dews, F. 2019. Commentary, charts of the week: Africa's changing demographics. Brookings Institution, Available: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/charts-of-the-week-africas-changing-demographics/ , accessed January 29, 2024.
George, G., Corbishley, C., Khayesi, J.N.O., Haas, M.R., & Tihanyi, L. 2016. From the editors: Bringing Africa in: promising directors for management research. Academy of Management Journal, 59(2): 377-393.
Kuyoro, M., Leke, A., White, O., Woetzel, J., Jayaram, K., & Hicks, K. 2023. Reimagining economic growth in Africa: Turning diversity into opportunity. McKinsey Global Institute, Available: https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/our-research/reimagining-economic-growth-in-africa-turning-diversity-into-opportunity#/
Mellahi, K., & Mol, M.J. 2015. Africa is just like every other place, in that it is unlike any other place. Africa Journal of Management, 1(2): 201-209.
Mol, M.J., Stadler, C., & Arino, A. 2017. Africa: the new frontier for global strategy scholars. Global Strategy Journal, 7(1): 3-9.
Nachum, L., Stevens, C.E., Newenham-Kahindi, A., Lundan, S., Rose, E.L., & Wantchekon, L. 2023. Africa rising: opportunities for advancing theory on people, institutions, and the nation state in international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 24: 938-955.
Pierce, L., & Snyder, J.A. 2020. Historical origins of firm ownership structure: the persistent effects of the African Slave Trade. Academy of Management Journal, 63(6): 1687-1713.
Uzuegbunam, A.O., & Uzuegbunam, I. 2018. Arm's length or give-and-take? Gender differences in the relational orientation of new ventures in Sub-Saharan Africa. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 12(4): 522-541.
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Bernadine Johnson Dykes
Associate Dean
Shenandoah University
Centreville VA
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