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The purpose of this paper is to examine the startup models adopted by entrepreneurs in launching platform enterprises, and the effectiveness of business incubators across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Data reflecting origin, models, services, ownership and other variables were collected on over 600 platforms and 196 incubators, and were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Market portfolio of the platform startups is dominated by independent models, as incubators and accelerators were found to be inadequate in platform establishment within the region in terms of the services rendered to incubatees. The results also indicate that private ownership still dominates the startup ecosystem with a scant presence of public participation and almost a complete absence of public-private partnerships.

This exploratory study is constrained by a limited access to information on the platform ecosystem within the SSA region, curbing the scope of empirical work; but serves as a foundation for further investigations within the domain.

The paper highlights the imperative for African Governments to make conscious efforts in driving enabling policies that will help bridge the gaps identified in facilitating the development of the region’s emergent platform economy.

The paper empirically elucidates the limited availability of critical resources necessary in supporting the successful development and growth of platform startups; and helps explain why the platform ecosystem within the region, though very active in the last decade, has not been laden with landmark and scaled innovations.

Despite the perceived role of customer value in post-adoption behaviour in the context of ride-hailing apps such as Uber, there has been limited research on the subject. This paper seeks to enrich the understanding of the relationships between customer perceived value, particularly hedonic value and economic value, customer satisfaction and continued use intentions of ride-hailing apps.

This analysis is based on field data collected from 567 users of ride-hailing apps in Ghana. Data collected from the survey were analysed using the partial least square (PLS) approach to structural equation modelling (SEM).

The paper provides evidence that hedonic value, as well as economic value, positively predicts customer satisfaction and continued use intentions of ride-hailing apps. Further analysis reveals customer satisfaction directly predicts continued use intentions in addition to partially mediating the influence of customer perceived value on continued use intentions of ride-hailing apps. Finally, the findings suggest that hedonic value has a stronger impact on continued use intentions than economic value, while economic value has a greater impact on satisfaction than hedonic value.

The study contributes to post-adoption behaviour research by providing evidence on the relationships among the study constructs in a developing country context. Overall, the findings will stimulate future empirical debates on the subject and guide practitioners in decision-making concerning customers' usage of ride-hailing apps.

Greater access to financial services is a key enabler of many of the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs). This chapter examines the role of digital financial services (DFS) in the actualisation of the UN SDGs in Nigeria by presenting a series of illustrative cases of DFS-based public and private sector enterprises driving critical SDGs in Nigeria. These enterprises are not only driving economic growth, they are also enabling value chains addressing the broad-ranging needs of the poor. Tracing possibilities around impact is important here, a context in which over 60 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. Statistics on poverty reflect not only lack of income but also the lack of access to essential services. Approximately 44 per cent of Nigeria’s adult population is financially excluded and could benefit from DFS in enabling an inclusive economy.

This study aims to develop and apply a multidimensional measure of financial inclusion (FI) to address measurement issues and determine the level of FI of rural smallholder farmers and the contribution of domain indicators to the level of FI in Nigeria.

The paper adapts the Alkire–Foster method to develop a multidimensional FI index (MFII). A stratified two-stage sampling procedure is used to select 2,300 rural respondents from the 2016 Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP) Smallholder Household Survey.

Results indicate that 78% of rural smallholder farmers in Nigeria are financially excluded. In addition, owning a formal account is significantly different (p < 0.00) from being financially adequate. The financial capability domain contributes the least (29.66%) to the multidimensional FI (MFI) of rural smallholder farmers relative to financial participation and financial well-being. Financial literacy, consumer protection, overcoming barriers such as high transaction costs and financial planning indicators contribute the least to FI relative to formal access.

Results of the study lead to policy recommendations for increasing the FI of rural smallholder farmers in Nigeria, which may be applicable to other countries.

Achieving sustainable FI requires that interventions increase the FI of rural smallholder farmers by strengthening financial capability, participation and well-being and not only focus on formal account owners.

The study provides a new methodological and empirical contribution to the FI literature on rural smallholder farmers.