ABSTRACT

The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic is underscored by its systemic distortion of socioeconomic and political agendas around the world. It has disproportionately affected fragile states, and has exposed economies with inefficient safety nets. In this article, we contend that while the uncertainty occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for many African firms, the situation has also given rise to new entrepreneurial opportunities. We draw on three cases from Africa (one multinational corporation, one start-up, and one informal firm) to outline how the COVID-19 pandemic can also be regarded as a source of entrepreneurship in uncertain times. We conclude by discussing implications for African management practice and research.

摘要

COVID-19大流行的严重性因其对世界各地社会经济和政治议程的系统性扭曲而凸显。它对脆弱国家的影响不成比例，并使经济体系的安全网效率低下。在本文中，我们认为，尽管COVID-19大流行带来的不确定性对许多非洲公司而言是毁灭性的，但这种情况也带来了新的创业机会。我们以非洲的三个案例（一家跨国公司，一家初创公司和一家非正式公司）为例，概述了在不确定时期如何将COVID-19大流行也视为企业家精神的来源。最后，我们讨论了对非洲管理实践和研究的意义。