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The interaction of higher education with other stakeholder groups (industry, communities and regulatory bodies) in scaling up the activities of informal enterprises has been largely ignored in certain sub-sectors. Considering the proximity and proclivity among students who engage in part-time work in the underexplored sectors of hairstylists (barbers and women's hairdressers) and carwash businesses, this study interrogates why, despite their concentration around most Nigerian university communities, they remain disconnected and unable to scale up. Through consideration of the Triple Helix model and the entrepreneurial venture development process the study highlights avenues for universities to scale up such operations as part of their third mission. The authors provide theoretical and practical implications for community and enterprise development in emerging African economies, especially that of Nigeria.

The main purpose of this study is to highlight the entrepreneurial exploits of an ethnic group within the African context. The research context is the Igbos in Eastern Nigeria who have been celebrated as the pinnacle of African entrepreneurship. The study also draws on the narratives of 25 experienced business owners, and the emerging data thematically analysed to identify key variables associated with transgenerational business legacies and succession. Additional insight on salient cultural and community nuances like the role of Di-okpara (first son), Umunna (sons of the land), Ikwu (members of a Kindred) and Umuada (daughters of the land) were unravelled through interview transcripts and validated by respondents. These insights inform a contribution to the discourse of ethnic or indigenous entrepreneurship, which has both theoretical and policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory article highlights developments in the African (defined to include sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa) mobile telephony market. While observing the renewed pattern of foreign direct investment (FDI) from and to emerging markets in a value-added sector (mobile telecoms), this article uses a series of questions to profile the opportunities and challenges of mobile telephony in Nigeria and, by extension, Africa. Considering the exploratory nature of this article, it only presents a broad overview of the African telecom landscape, drawing largely upon secondary data. Despite its descriptive nature, the article is intended to spur further, more in-depth investigation into the FDI trends from and to emerging markets. Indeed, the recent appetite of Middle East telcos in Nigeria (and, by extension, Africa) provides an impetus for rethinking the subject of south-south cooperation in international business. Researchers and policymakers may benefit from some of these insights in the development of their international business strategies. Overall, the article argues that in order to derive any medium- to long-term opportunities in the African mobile telephony market, both existing and potential investors would need to ponder over a number of concerns and/or questions arising from this article-notably, what are the key drivers behind this growth? Who are the key players driving this pattern of investments? Why the renewed interest in Africa from Middle East telcos? How has the landscape changed in terms of innovation and value added? © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]