The IT sector in Kenya

Multipliers for employment creation: the IT sector in Kenya

Lead by Dr Harry Barkema, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

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About the research group

Almost half of the Kenyan population lives on less than US$1.25 per day, partly as a result of being employed in unproductive and informal work. The project ‘Multipliers for Employment Creation: The IT Sector in Kenya’ will investigate how an innovative sector such as IT can stimulate productive (formal) employment within the country. It will do so by looking into the success factors enabling small IT firms (so-called ‘incubators’), which typically start in the informal sector, to take off, generate organizational growth, and become formal-sector employers of women and youth.

Consortium
  • Africa Creative Hub, Kenya
  • Ashoka, Kenya
  • East Africa Social Enterprises Network (EASEN), Kenya
  • Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
  • iHub Research, Kenya
  • London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), United Kingdom
  • Strathmore Business School, Kenya
Main questions
  • What are key factors and mechanisms associated with growing and scaling technology incubators for
    IT-enterprises?
  • What are key factors and mechanisms associated with IT-enterprises (especially those emerging from
    technology incubators) creating formal employment, particularly for youths and women?
  • What factors explain the successful transition from informal to formal IT-enterprises?
Country focus
  • Kenya