Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (The)

Entrepreneurial Education and Africa’s Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals

Thanduyise Ngobese — 2025-01-10

Entrepreneurship has the potential to reduce poverty, stimulate economic
growth and boost innovation, in addition to enhancing social and
environmental sustainability. In accordance with the human capital theory
and previous empirical studies, it is assumed that entrepreneurship education
and training directly correlate with positive entrepreneurial outcomes and
therefore sustainable development. Although several scholars have attempted
to review and analyse entrepreneurship education and training literature over
the past decade, none of these reviews directly links entrepreneurship
education and training with sustainable development or focuses on the role
and status of entrepreneurship education and training (research) in less-stable
areas of the world. This article analyses recent literature to identify the extent
to which entrepreneurship education and training research addresses
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The review identifies several gaps in
research and practice that potentially hinder entrepreneurship education and
training from adequately advancing sustainable development, including a
dearth of research on African states and demographic diversity, limited
entrepreneurship education and training access to non-university students
and a general lack of focus on educational technology, progressive education
approaches, and innovation in African countries compared to stable ones.
The review also identifies challenges pertaining to entrepreneurship education
and training resource constraints in fragile contexts. The article concludes by
offering insights on how educational technology could mitigate
entrepreneurship education and training challenges in developing Africa
environments to ultimately ease some barriers towards SDG advancement
and provides recommendations for future research directions.

The Socio-Economic Impact of De-Agrarianisation in Sub-Sahara: A Re-Look on Rural Livelihoods and Employment

Douglas Nyath — 2025-01-10

This article critically engages with the academic debate on de-agrarianisation
which has gained traction in political economy perspectives of agrarian
change in Sub-Saharan Africa. De-agrarianisation represents long-term
processes of occupational adjustment, income-earning reorientation and the
spatial relocation of rural dwellers away from strictly agricultural modes of
livelihood. Given that Sub-Saharan Africa is steadily becoming less rural in
character, there is a need to explore the critical factors that drive deagrarianisation and its implications on rural socio-economic development. It
emerges that the de-agrarianisation process is a historical process dating back
from the colonial era. It is driven by urban and industrial development, the
globalisation process, neoliberal policies, climate change variability, growth
of off-farm livelihood options and access to education. This phenomenon has
far-reaching widespread social, economic and ecological effects in rural areas.
We challenge the taken-for-granted assumptions of the farm household
efficiency paradigm that has dominated rural development thinking in the
Global South and recommend the need for measures that can help boost nonfarm activities availability, including increasing the access of rural households
to assets such as financial capital and non-price factors like education and
infrastructure. The development of non-farm activities should complement
the effort to re-agrarianise since activities in the former depend directly or
indirectly on the latter.

Policy Implementation and Good Governance for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Akinseye Olowu — 2025-01-10

Desirable sustainable development goals are implemented by policies.
However, right from its outset as a sovereign state, Nigeria has had a plethora
of remarkable policies. The essence of these policies has not been sufficient
for delivering good governance. In addition, there have been no major and
significant developments associated with the implementation of these policies
to date. This scenario rightly suggests that Nigeria's problem is not the
formulation of policies in itself, but a structural requirement for dynamic
change that has been lacking in the policy design, formulation, and
implementation. Hence, there is a lacuna in actualising sustainable
development through good governance in Nigeria. This article explores the
logical explanation for policy failure in Nigeria. The recurring decimal of the
lack of continuity in governance, corruption, lack of human capacity and
resources, lack of standard leadership, and political will to implement policy
effectively are irrationalities in policy implementation. This article argues that
until the policies in Nigeria are implemented effectively and taken to their
designed conclusion, there will be no sustainable and achievable development
and good governance in Nigeria. The study contributes to a framework that
integrates strategic alignment, continuous professional development, adaptive
management, and technological integration to enhance the effectiveness and
efficiency of the public sector in achieving sustainable governance and
development goals.

Digitalization and Government Response to COVID-19 in post-pandemic in Africa

Vincent Motau — 2025-01-10

The relevance of digital technology has increased globally, especially during
and after the Covid-19 outbreak. However, digitalisation in Africa is still
under the development process whereby the majority of African countries are
adjusting and adapting to digitalization. The lack of technological
advancement in Africa poses a serious delay to the adoption of digitalization.
This study aims to assess the digitalisation and government response to
COVID-19 during the post-pandemic era in Africa. This study was done
qualitatively as a desktop study. Therefore, this study used a secondary
research approach where books, journal articles, and newspapers were
employed to collect data. A key finding of this paper is that the majority of
African countries are still struggling to adapt to digital technologies because
of the lack of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) materials but slowly but
surely they are adopting digitalization. As digital transformation is essential
for survival, businesses and institutions have increased their investments in
technological breakthroughs. This study concludes that the introduction of
digitalization in Africa was the best solution to curb the spread of COVID19. Africa is still behind in digitalization, although it has a long history with
technology. Africa has proven to be resilient, and its nations are catching up
in embracing global digitization. The study recommends that digitalization in
Africa in response to the pandemic must be adopted for future outbreaks.
African countries must continue adopting digitalization because people now
prefer to use the 4IR method.

Evaluation of Gender Mainstreaming in the appointment of senior management: A case study of the Office of the Premier in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Ellah N. Ngobeni — 2025-01-10

This article seeks to probe the causes of non-compliance with the 50/50
Employment Equity Target by Limpopo Provincial Departments in South
Africa on the appointment of members to senior management positions.
South African Cabinet Decision 85(A) of 2005, the Women Empowerment
and Gender Equality Bill of 2013, and the existing policy reform to address
gender inequality in the public service are amongst the very important pieces
of legislative frameworks that provide for gender parity at the workplace, and
if adhered to, the 50/50 employment equity can be realized. The article aims
to evaluate the extent of employment equity (gender mainstreaming) in its
implementation and enforcement in the appointment process of senior
management in the Office of the Premier of the Limpopo Provincial
Government in South Africa. The study uses feminist theories as guiding
tools to understand the root causes of inequities in workplaces especially
between men and women. An exploratory qualitative approach was
embarked upon. Interviews with Directors and Chief Directors responsible
for Human Resources Management and Corporate Services were also
conducted, as well as the review of existing documents and reports of the
provincial government. The study found that the challenges emanate from the
Cadre Deployment Policy which dictates that the Executive Council
(Executive Authority) should be given the responsibility of appointing
members of senior management services based on political and ideological
lines. The recommendation made is that there is a need for the Cadre
Deployment Policy to be discontinued and disregarded as it compromises
excellence, integrity, and expertise.

Assessing Consumers' Perception of Shrinkflation in Nigeria and its Implication for Sustainable Development

Gbenusola Akinwale — 2025-01-10

We live in a society where people pay more to get less for most of the
consumables, this has had a major impact on household poverty in Nigeria in
recent times where you have to pay more to still get a lower quantity of an
item. The study assessed the perception of consumers towards shrinkflation
in Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study, (a) to know if the
concept of shrinkflation exists in Nigeria and (b) to know if age and job
status will affect their perception of shrinkflation. The study selected N=330
adults from Lagos Central Senatorial District of Lagos state. The participants
were all adults in schools, formal sector, and informal sectors in Lagos. The
study used already standardized Shrinkflation Awareness Scale by Mbewu to
explore the variables. The data collected was analyzed with SPSS v29, with
descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics showed that
people are aware of the downsizing of consumables and a large number
agreed that it is a deceptive business practice to cheat the consumers. The
demographic variables were not significant thus implying that all ages and all
the sectors are feeling the effects of shrinkflation. The study concluded that
the effect of the inflation that is currently affecting Nigeria is affecting and
increasing poverty level because the cost of items is increasing yet the
quantity is also reducing. The study recommended that the government
should ensure that regulatory agencies play their roles in supervising the
activities of the manufacturers to promote the development of Nigeria.

Izzih-Ukelle Environmental Crisis and Implications for Sustainable Development

Kelechi Johnmary Ani — 2025-01-10

Since the inception of earth, there has been a consensus among scholars that
war and armed conflict of any kind often have major negative impact on the
people and society more than positive one. Wars especially over land have left
many nations and societies underdeveloped. Many national and societal
economies have been crippled as a result of wars and armed conflict thereby
leading to retardation of development of some communities, while increasing
the high level of poverty in the society. This article focuses on the conflict
between Cross River and Ebonyi States, which to a large extent affected
farming communities. This conflict is about contested land which the people
depended on for survival because most of the people are farmers. The
researcher used qualitative research method, where primary data were
collected from field interviews in the conflict affected terrain as well as
secondary materials to develop the content of the article. It found that the
armed conflict gave a heavy blow on the people. Consequently, the article
recommends that it is important to look at how this conflict negatively
impacted on food security in the country and pursue post conflict
peacebuilding. Politicians and other stakeholders should therefore try to stop
fanning the fuel of enmity within Ebonyi and Cross River State.

External Financing Policies and Sustainable Energy Development in Africa: Evidence from Sub-Sahara African Countries

Afees Oluwashina Noah — 2025-01-10

Energy is a fundamental pillar for economic advancement, particularly in
high-growth economies. However, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is facing a
worsening energy crisis compared to other regions globally. These energy
sector challenges not only affect people’s living standards but also hinder
economic growth, employment prospects, and investments in the region.
Despite having abundant energy resources, SSA struggles to adequately
power its homes and businesses, necessitating the exploration and utilization
of these resources to their full potential. The persistent energy crisis can be
attributed to the inability of energy organisers to comprehend the complex
macroeconomic elements that shape the development of energy. Nonetheless,
substantial external financing has been absorbed by the sector in the past two
decades. This study explores the influence of external financing policies,
namely official development assistance, private participation in infrastructure,
and foreign direct investment, on energy development within selected SSA
nations from 1990 to 2021. Using the panel autoregressive distributed lag
model, the empirical findings suggest that official development assistance
hampers energy development in SSA, while foreign direct investment and
private participation in infrastructure influence energy development in the
long run. These outcomes imply that policymakers in SSA need to focus
more and prioritize domestic financial development to ensure increase
investment toward achieving sustainable energy development.

The Effectiveness of Strategic Management Practices at a Public University in South Africa

Sithembile Khuzwayo — 2025-01-10

This study evaluates strategic management practices at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Using a quantitative approach, an online survey
collected data from diverse staff members. Positive perceptions of strategy
clarity and impact were found, but resource adequacy concerns emerged.
Transparent resource allocation, stakeholder involvement, and performance
metrics are crucial for successful strategy implementation. The research
highlights the need to align resource allocation with strategic objectives. It
emphasises transparent decision-making processes, involving stakeholders in
resource allocation, and monitoring performance metrics. By applying
resource-based theory and Mintzberg’s 5Ps framework, the study provides
valuable insights for higher education institutions. Recommendations include
enhancing transparency, conducting regular assessments, and prioritising
strategic initiatives. This research contributes to organisational effectiveness
and long-term strategic goals. It highlights the importance of strategic
alignment and resource optimisation in higher education contexts.

Assessing the Extent to which Customer Feedback Contributes to Value Co-Creation: A Focus on the Tourism Industry

Siyasanga Mgoduka — 2025-01-10

Over the past few decades, the process of creating economic value has
changed from single companies contributing individually to co-creating value
and integrating customer knowledge into product development. Firms are
creating value through the use of engagement experiences between customers
and firms. The new locus of value co-creation is interactions between firm
stakeholders and customers; hence, organisations need to be designed to
revolve around these interactions to identify opportunities for customercompany co-creation. Nonetheless, there are still a lot of unanswered
questions regarding value co-creation, its antecedents, and its effects.
Literature on the effects of customer feedback on value co-creation is sparse,
the existing body of knowledge lacks information regarding the role played
by customer feedback to enhance the co-creation of value between firms and
their consumers. In context with this, the study aims to assess the extent to
which customer feedback contributes to value co-creation by focusing on the
tourism industry. In addressing the aforementioned gap, this study employed
the Service – dominant (S–D) Logic Theory. Moreover, purposive sampling
was used in this study to gather qualitative data from 20 guests who made
visits to the 23 targeted game and nature reserves in Mpumalanga. The
findings revealed that customer feedback such as preferences and opinions
about products and services enhances value co-creation. Moreover, the
findings revealed that the use of social media platforms to allow consumers to
make suggestions and comments about a service provision enhances value cocreation. This study therefore concludes that firms must encourage customer
feedback to enhance value co-creation.

The Role of Information Communication Technology in Improving Community Participation in Municipal Process in Rural Areas

Mooki Lobelo — 2025-01-10

Around the world, especially in democratic states, governments, both
national and local, are major players in improving people's livelihoods,
especially in areas where all indicators depict a bad service delivery image.
Over the years, communication has been a major player in improving
people’s livelihoods in subaltern communities. In South Africa, most studies
have focused on the role of traditional communication in improving
community participation in rural areas, while few have focused on
information and communication technologies in semi-urban areas,
necessitating investigating Information communication technology (ICT) use
on community participation in rural areas. This study aims to explore the
information communication technologies used in facilitating community
participation in local government, especially in rural areas. To get deeper
insights into how the internet, cell phones, and social media usher in the
involvement of the community in municipal processes, the study adopted a
qualitative content analysis methodology to interrogate and examine various
data sources like academic articles, case studies, government reports, and ICT
project evaluations, allowing the researcher to identify words, themes, and
patterns for data analysis. The researcher further employed textual analysis as
it facilitated the analysis of secondary data and offered a systematic
framework for data interpretation. The study used technological determinism
as a framework. The findings of this study show that, although ICTs may aid
communities in effective participation in municipal processes, the digital
divide and illiteracy remain challenges that may hinder the use of ICTs for
effective participation since most rural communities live in poverty. To
address the latter while necessitating the former, this study recommends that
municipalities and community organisations conduct technological needs
assessments to understand their communities' particular requirements,
prospects, and challenges and ultimately make digital infrastructure and
resources available to rural communities.

Reducing Schooling Drop-Out Rate to Facilitate Human Capital Development: A Case of South Africa

N.S. Modiba — 2025-01-10

This article interrogates the destructive nature of the secondary school learner
drop-out to the facilitation of human capital development in the 21st century.
The article is conceptual and empirical in nature within the qualitative
research paradigm. The question guiding this article is: how can learner dropout in secondary schools be contained to enable the facilitation of the human
capital development? Narrative enquiry and interviewing techniques were
applied to generate data. Out of a population of 13 public secondary schools
in Sekhukhune East District, in Limpopo Province, South Africa, six were
conveniently sampled. In each of the six sampled secondary school, a
principal and chairperson of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL)
became research participants. Findings revealed that firstly, there is a
connection between learner drop-out and human capital development.
Secondly, poor academic learner performance triggers drop-out. Thirdly,
drop-out offers a tragic tale for South African youth. Fourthly, poor
scholastic assessment test scores trigger drop-out. Lastly, lack of
improvement of literary abilities trigger drop-out. The researcher
recommends for the zero-rated digital platforms to teaching and learning to
contribute to containing drop-out. Lastly, the researcher recommends for the
cultivation of the culture of continuous learning and skills development.
Finally, the researcher recommends for the declaration of secondary schools
as national key points to enable them to service development and an economy
of their communities and the country.

Investigating the Nexus between Financial Inclusion and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria (2013-2023)

Olusola Anthony Ibitoye — 2025-01-10

This study investigates the nexus between financial inclusion and poverty
reduction in Nigeria over the period of 2013 to 2023. Financial inclusion,
defined as access to a wide array of formal financial services, is crucial for
economic development and poverty alleviation. The research utilizes a
quantitative approach, analysing data from the World Bank global database
to explore various indicators such as GDP, domestic credit to the private
sector, bank non-performing loans, and poverty headcount ratios. The
findings reveal significant challenges hindering financial inclusion in Nigeria,
including limited access to credit, low financial literacy, and disparities in
banking infrastructure distribution between urban and rural areas. Despite
efforts by the government and financial institutions to promote financial
inclusion, the study identifies persistent gaps in reaching marginalized
populations. Recommendations for policymakers, investors, and market
participants include enhancing financial literacy programs, leveraging
technology for inclusive banking, supporting Microfinance Institutions
(MFIs), and fostering public-private partnerships. By addressing these
challenges and implementing the proposed recommendations, Nigeria can
create a more inclusive financial ecosystem, empower individuals, and
accelerate poverty reduction efforts. However, the study acknowledges some
limitations, such as reliance on available data and the need for longitudinal
studies to assess the long-term impact of financial inclusion initiatives. Future
research should explore cultural and societal dynamics influencing financial
inclusion and conduct comparative studies across different regions and
demographic groups to develop more targeted interventions. Overall, this
study underscores the importance of advancing financial inclusion as a
catalyst for sustainable development and poverty reduction in Nigeria.

Advancing Eco-Entrepreneurship in Nigeria through Transformative Implementation of Sustainable Business Model Innovations

Josephine Ilesanmi — 2025-01-10

This article examines how green and sustainable business innovation can be
harnessed to advance a just and inclusive decarbonization and energy
transition in Nigeria. As the world strives to transition to net zero by 2050
or earlier, the need for business operations to transition from traditional
models of operations driven by economic value to a sustainable approach of
environmental and social values has become more pressing. As a resource—
based economy, Nigeria has made pledges and plans in line with international
frameworks to transition and grow renewable energy resources. Yet, lack of
clear operational guidelines on effective business strategies needed to
effectively advance eco-entrepreneurship remains a key challenge. Ecoentrepreneurship and eco-ventures such as small-medium scale eco-enterprise
and energy citizens who generate eco-solutions, innovations, services and
products in renewable energy plays a vital role in economy decarbonization
strategies. While several studies have highlighted how external factors such as
weak or unsupportive governance and policy landscape may hinder
successful implementation of eco-entrepreneurial activities, what has
remained absent is a holistic evaluation of how lack of internal capacity of
eco-ventures themselves can hinder the successful design and implementation
of transformative and sustainable business model that are able to capture
business opportunities, address risks and make impactful contributions to
global sustainability objectives. This article fills a gap in this regard. Drawing
lessons from surveyed Nigerian eco-entrepreneurs, this article examines
internal governance gaps that hinder sustainable business innovation, such as
incompatibility of business aims and models; limited internal capacity on
ESG; unsustainable procurement practices and resource constraints are
examined in order to identify the ways in which integrative sustainable
business model innovation can help close these gaps.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Sustainable Banking and Service Efficiency in Nigerian Financial Institutions: An Assessment of Selected Quoted Banks

Abiodun Thomas Ogundele — 2025-01-10

The rapid growth of human reasoning impacts the sustainability and
efficiency of the banking industry globally, including in Nigeria. Many banks
have used technology and creativity to improve service efficiency and revenue
sustainability due to worries about the detrimental effects of human
intelligence. Our research analyses how AI integration influences sustainable
banking and service efficiency in selected Nigerian listed banks. Natural
language processing, machine learning, and predictive analytics are
revolutionising banking. In addition, risk management, fraud detection,
customer service, and operational automation applications create data
privacy, ethical, and regulatory compliance issues, though they are efficient
and cost-effective. According to a cross-sectional study of clients from five
Nigerian deposit money banks: Access Bank Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, First
Bank Plc, Guarantee Trust Bank Plc, and Zenith Bank Plc, 384 individuals
completed the self-administered questionnaire SAQ. In this study, the
following methods were used: mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis,
Jarque Bera, correlational analysis, and OLS regression. The researchers
observed that AI awareness, application, and effectiveness have an impact on
the service efficiency of a subset of Nigerian quoted deposit money banks.
Finance firms in Nigeria use AI to improve productivity and client happiness
as one suggestion was to automate tedious tasks for bank services. However,
government regulations restrict Nigerian banks' AI usage. To bridge these
gaps, the paper recommends banking AI regulations, infrastructural
development, education, training, and monitoring. The paper also
recommends that Nigerian officials automate identity verification and risk
assessment to speed up procedures. Overall, there should be strong
sustainability, security, and privacy laws to promote economic and social
objectives.

Editorial Comments

Victor Ojakorotu — 2025-01-10

No abstract