Africapitalism
Research & Policy Network
Welcome to the ARP Network, founded in 2021 by experts and interested parties in fine-tuning and promoting Africapitalism - as an economic and management philosophy - across institutions and geographies.
What is Africapitalism?
Amaeshi and Idemudia (2015) articulate Africapitalism as an economic and management philosophy for sustainable development underpinned by the sense of:
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Progress and Prosperity: the combination of financial profitability and social wealth. This is not just about the absence of poverty but the presence of conditions that make life more fulfilling. Those include access to quality education, health, social capital, and democratic institutions.
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Parity and Inclusion: the recognition that the benefits of progress and prosperity need to be equitably shared and growth needs to be inclusive.
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Peace and Harmony: the view that the simultaneous pursuit of profit and social wealth is primarily a quest for balance, harmony, and peace – “…a process of achieving human development …in an inclusive, connected, equitable, prudent, and secure manner” (Gladwin et al., 1995:878).
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Place and Belonging: Africapitalism treats geographies primarily as places (and not necessarily as markets) with meaning and value to people’s identities.
What is the ARP Network?
The Africapitalism Research and Policy Network seeks to bring together experts and scholars with an interest in the concept of Africapitalism and become the central meeting place for those seeking more information or ways to collaborate. Together, we hope to explore the constraints, enablers and framing of the private sector in sustainable development, especially in Africa.
The ARP Network aims to contribute to the re-imagination of capitalism in Africa by examining the uniqueness of Africapitalism and how it differs from (and or similar to) other attempts to reshape capitalism such as inclusive capitalism, responsible capitalism, conscious capitalism and others.
We work with academics, scholars, business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs engaged in Africapitalism, even if they do not currently label their practices as such, to see how Africapitalism is enacted in practice, and how the Africapitalism philosophy shapes strategic business and policy decisions. We will also capture the views and roles of policymakers and civil society in rethinking capitalism in Africa.
'Africapitalism' was coined by the Nigerian entrepreneur, Tony O. Elumelu, to describe the private sector's commitment to the economic transformation of Africa.
Africapitalism
Africapitalism helps us understand the subtle factors that underpin business decisions in different geographies.
We need to look at Africapitalism from different perspectives and on different issues, and open up a new space for rethinking business and society relations.
Upcoming Webinars & Related Events
No events are scheduled at present, please check back soon.