ABSTRACT
Entrepreneurship is a relatively new academic discipline within the social sciences. Turning to how entrepreneurship in Africa is different from elsewhere, George et al. stated that the continent's biggest business challenge is persistent institutional voids. A business in an industry with attractive economics, managed by average entrepreneurs, will generally do better than one in an industry with unattractive economics managed by amazing entrepreneurs. At the level of the firm, family businesses are especially important to African entrepreneurship. Many of these firms are informal, which, as noted earlier, limits their growth. Social networks in general are important for African entrepreneurs, as they are for entrepreneurs elsewhere. These networks have more positive impacts on non-family firms in Africa than they do for family firms. The collectivist orientation of many African economies also encourages this orientation to social entrepreneurship.
