I-Entrepreneurship: Changing Lives Through Technology

Abstract

As information and communications technologies (ICTs) and social enterprises are increasingly recognized for their role as drivers of economic growth, opportunities are continuously arising for new business models to address socioeconomic challenges and encourage innovation. This chapter examines the growth of social entrepreneurship in Kenya and demonstrates how businesses can create shared value in the field of technology. It illustrates the role of impact sourcing as a means of generating employment through an examination of Digital Divide Data (DDD) Kenya, the country’s innovative ICT program for the training and education of disadvantaged youth. The DDD case study sheds light on the potential of ICTs to transform businesses and provide an enabling environment for the development of technology-based social enterprise. The impact sourcing model used by DDD Kenya, it will be shown, provides opportunities for youth from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds to acquire practical, hands-on professional training while pursuing higher education. It also highlights the challenges of setting up a social enterprise and casts light on a number of the lessons and best practices that can be taken up by other entrepreneurs.