Frugal Innovation Approach to Technology Driven Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

Abstract

Despite the number of entrepreneurial programs undertaken by governments and non-profits, the growing population of Africa is still struggling. Traditional models of entrepreneurship and innovation were tailored for industrialized economies. Developing world and Africa face different constraints, to cite only low purchasing power and inefficiency of institutions. Frugal innovation is a new paradigm of affordable innovations to deal with resource scarcity in developing economies. Multiple cases show how frugal innovators are delivering high added value for cheaper price. Evidence from a comparative study [8] revealed a cost reduction of more than 58% between frugal and standard low-price products in the Indian market. In Africa, Khan [9] cited the example of Craftskills, a Kenyan social business that manufactures renewable energy equipment in East Africa to plantations, community collectives and small businesses. Those and other studies showcase the potential of bricolage and inventive analogies as stimulants of frugal innovations, which enhance sustainable entrepreneurship in developing countries.