We encourage you to propose a contribution in one of the formats listed below.Deadline for abstract submission is 15 31 July 2024
Format of Contributions
The conference’s aim is, above all, to discuss ideas, results, generalizations, hypotheses, and plans among an audience representing institutions from education, business, development studies, and related fields. We encourage the submission of inputs with an explorative or conceptual nature, case studies, and reports concerning successes or failures. Therefore, the two-day program encompasses the following formats:
- Paper Presentations (e.g. MS PowerPoint)
- Panel Discussions
Panel sessions serve as discussion forums for issues of contemporary interest to entrepreneurs and academics in Africa.
Panels are complete sessions organized as a single submission by the panel chair around a common theme.
Panels may have a variety of formats. Examples include roundtables with no formal papers, innovative presentations utilizing software or film, keynote and discussion with very senior scholar(s) and expert(s).
Potential contributors should submit an abstract (maximum 500 words / one page). Deadline for abstract submission is 15th July 31st July 2024. Please submit your abstract using the abstract submission template and send it to
(subject: “abstract submission for conference”). After acceptance, contributors should prepare a presentation or poster.
Submission of papers is required by 30 January 2025. Abstracts, presentation slides and posters will be published on the conference website. Final papers will be published in an electronic conference proceedings volume with DOI number.
Here, you can find some guidelines.
Conference Theme Sustainable Pathways: Driving Sustainable Innovations in Africa
Subthemes
The conference theme is structured into seven subthemes. They serve only as an orientation for contributions to the conference. All contributions related to the conference theme are welcome, also those which cover more than one subtheme, and those which cannot clearly be assigned to one of the subthemes.
This subtheme deals with issues such as (but not confined to):
- Growth industries in African countries
- Preconditions of entrepreneurship and business in industrialized countries, and in Africa
- Case studies of entrepreneurship and business in African countries
- Success factors for SME development in industrialized countries, and in Africa
- Economic Partnership Agreements/EPAs – a win-win situation for African and European companies or a neocolonial instrument?
- Breaking down intra-African trade barriers – a big chance for entrepreneurs or just business as usual?
- Financing a business, or start-up, in African countries
- Methods to attract German SMEs to do business with/in African countries
This subtheme deals with issues such as (but not confined to):
Subtopics/Subthemes:
- Environmental Entrepreneurship Education
- Social Innovation and Impact Entrepreneurship
- Climate Literacy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Green Skills Training and Capacity Building
- Youth Entrepreneurship Programs
- Women’s Entrepreneurial Empowerment
- Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Entrepreneurship
- Experiential Learning and Mentorship
- Digital Entrepreneurship and E-commerce Skills
This subtheme deals with issues such as (but not confined to):
Subtopics/Subthemes:
- Research for Sustainable Development
- Technology Transfer and Commercialization
- Industry-Academia Collaboration for Climate Solutions
- Green Technology Incubators and Innovation Hubs
- Entrepreneurial Ecosystems on University Campuses
- Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Licensing
- Industry-sponsored Research Grants
- Skills Development for Industry-Relevant Careers
- Corporate Social Responsibility and University Engagement
This subtheme deals with issues such as (but not confined to):
Subtopics/Subthemes:
- Climate Action and Carbon Neutrality Targets
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives
- Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
- Ethical Sourcing and Fair-Trade Practices
- Transparency and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Reporting
- Green Procurement and Supplier Diversity
- Responsible Investment and Impact Measurement
- Green Entrepreneurship and Eco-friendly Practices
- Climate-Resilient Business Models
- Access to Sustainable Financing
- Circular Economy Initiatives
- Technology for Sustainable Business Solutions
- Policy Support for Sustainable Enterprises
This subtheme deals with issues such as (but not confined to):
Subtopics/Subthemes:
- Ecotourism and Wildlife Conservation
- Community-Based Tourism Enterprises
- Sustainable Tourism Infrastructure Development
- Cultural Heritage Preservation and Tourism
- Climate-Smart Tourism Practices
- Tourism Entrepreneurship Training and Support
- Destination Management and Marketing
- Sustainable Tourism Policies and Regulations
- Digital Innovation in Tourism Services
This subtheme deals with issues such as (but not confined to):
- The chicken and the egg: Can increased productivity lead to better social welfare, or will better social welfare lead to increased productivity?
- Corporate Social Responsibility in Africa: what businesses can do to improve social welfare, and why?
- Comparing social protection systems between Europe and Africa: Similarities, diversities, and mutual learning opportunities
- Social protection provider in Africa: The state? The entrepreneur? Who else?
- Social safety nets and insurance coverage
- Mental health and well-being
This subtheme deals with issues such as (but not confined to):
- Practice-oriented teaching – a solution for African educational problems?
- Universities of Applied Sciences: what are their success factors in Germany, and are they a role model for Africa’s development?
- Practice-oriented education on tertiary vs. (post-) secondary level in Africa: which approach is more efficient?
- Challenges and success factors in implementing practice-oriented teaching models at African universities
- The role of international university partnership networks in the development of the economy and society in Africa
- E-learning and acquisition of digital skills and competencies
- Artificial intelligence and the future of education