The Design, Development, and Implementation of a Digital Platform to Enhance Value Co-Creation within an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This chapter combines stakeholder, design thinking, and design science theory to underpin the analysis of the design, development, and implementation of a digital platform supporting the growth of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in East Africa. The study involved an analysis of stakeholder groups, their role and needs, and analyses of our findings based on causation, effectuation, and bricolage theories. We provide conclusions and recommendations that are targeted at entrepreneurs, policymakers, and technical platform developers in a context of high uncertainty and with an appreciation for the value of African entrepreneurial creativity and resilience. A contribution to theory concerns the conceptualisation of the digital platform as a construct representing an entrepreneurial eco-system.