Profiling the Sociocultural Conditions for Igbo Business Start-ups and Entrepreneurial Activities in Diaspora: The South African Experience

Abstract

Igbo communities in diaspora are arguably some of the most innovative communities, in terms of business start-ups and engagements in entrepreneurial activities. Despite the lack of material resources, individuals within these communities have often started and engaged in new businesses, in environments considered extremely difficult. This chapter interrogates the sociocultural conditions behind such Igbo entrepreneurial incubation. Drawing largely on the experiences of selected Igbo individuals in a diasporan community (South Africa), it investigates how such Igbo business individuals’ start-up their businesses. A qualitative research method which allowed in-depth semi-structured interviews to collect data from the respondents was adopted. A simple thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The result showed pressure to succeed and pre-existing repertoire of business knowledge and skill-set as some of the conditions that stimulate entrepreneurial activities of the Igbo business individuals in diaspora. It also showed other conditions such as the untapped business-friendly South African market and the association with the Igbo business networks as important conditions responsible for creating the opportunities upon which such business start-ups and entrepreneurial activities thrive. Based on these findings, the study encourages economic policy makers in South Africa and other African countries to develop similar national business models, that draws from the indigenous practices within the ITBS model.

Citation

Amaechi, K.E. (2020), "Profiling the Sociocultural Conditions for Igbo Business Start-ups and Entrepreneurial Activities in Diaspora: The South African Experience", Adeola, O. (Ed.) Indigenous African Enterprise (Advanced Series in Management, Vol. 26), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 203-218. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1877-636120200000026014