Guest Speakers

Leo Paul Dana

Distinguished Professor of entrepreneurship

Professor Leo Paul Dana stands as a preeminent scholar in the fields of entrepreneurship and management, whose exceptional academic influence is demonstrated through an impressive corpus of over 700 publications and more than 38,937 citations on Google Scholar. This remarkable scholarly output has firmly established him as a leading authority in entrepreneurship research.

Among his numerous contributions, Professor Dana has notably distinguished himself through his groundbreaking work in indigenous entrepreneurship. He pioneered the conceptual definition of indigenous entrepreneurship as self-employment grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, and subsequently developed comprehensive theoretical models that have become foundational to this emerging field of study.

Amon Simba

Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, NBS, UK

Professor Amon Simba is a leading authority in African entrepreneurship and innovation studies, with over 1,728 citations reflecting his significant contributions to understanding entrepreneurship in emerging economies. As Director of the AfrIE Research Hub, he maintains extensive international affiliations, including visiting professorships at HEC Montréal and Wits Business School, and appointments at Durban University of Technology and Central University of Technology, South Africa.

His editorial leadership is particularly noteworthy, serving as Co-Editor of the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior Research and Associate Editor for both the Journal of Small Business Management (JSBM) and the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business (IJESB). Through these roles, Professor Simba shapes critical discourse on SME development, innovation strategies, and informal entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa.