What is it about?
African fintech firms have expanded financial access, but customer acquisition does not always translate into sustained usage or long-term growth. This paper identifies three underlying challenges—limited customer clarity, weak collaboration and insufficient commitment to impact—and introduces seven institutional entrepreneurship practices that help firms build trust, legitimacy and sustainable growth.
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Why is it important?
The paper shifts the fintech conversation from how many people gain access to whether customers continue using the products and achieve meaningful outcomes. It introduces the Minimum Trustworthy Product, arguing that fintech firms operating in low-trust environments must build reliability, transparency and customer protection into their products from the outset. The framework also gives founders, investors and policymakers a practical diagnostic for identifying barriers to growth and selecting appropriate interventions.
Perspectives
My research on African entrepreneurship has repeatedly shown me that opportunity and capital are not enough. Firms grow sustainably when they understand their customers, earn trust, collaborate effectively and remain committed to meaningful outcomes. This paper brings those insights together in a practical framework designed for the realities of African fintech.
Dr. Glory Enyinnaya
Pan-Atlantic University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: From Opportunity to Growth: The Seven Institutional Entrepreneurship Practices of African Fintech, January 2026, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.6585021.
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