Practical and penetrating, this collection explores the varieties of entrepreneurship in Africa - rural and urban, legal and illegal, formal and informal - and considers the vital role of entrepreneurs in the economic development of the continent from Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon to Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa.

African entrepreneurship encompasses both innovators and business owners who range from the ubiquitous, well-recognized market traders and informal sector provisioners, to large-scale international traders and formal sector firm owners. Some new practices may be African adaptations of phenomena established elsewhere.

The prominence of African women in several chapters reflects their contributions to economic development, as well as their marginalization during the creation and implementation of public and private sector development strategies. Traditional African business practices (utilizing kinship-based networks, clientelism, and joint household-business activities) often are combined with global business practices (hiring formally trained managers, employing trade credit, and computerizing systems).

Derived from concrete examples of such situations, the book's theoretical discussion stays focused on the realities on which it is based.