Call for Book Chapters: Building a Green Africa – Sustainable Management Practices in a Volatile Environment

Call for Book Chapters

Building a Green Africa – Sustainable Management Practices in a Volatile Environment

Editors: Kemi Ogunyemi, Vanessa Burgal and Oreva Atanya

Publisher: yet to be determined

Ethics is the quest for a life worth living, putting every activity and goal in its place, and knowing what is worth doing and what is not worth doing. It is also, within business itself, keeping in mind what is ultimately important and essential, what is legitimately part of business, and what is forbidden, even (Onyebuchi, 2011; Fisher, 2004; Solomon, 1994). Hence, organizations have often incorporated ethical norms into their mission statement and corporate codes and espoused a commitment to corporate responsibility (Fisher, 2004).

This book series aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the state of play on the continent with regard to sustainability – the context, the issues, the actors, and the interrelationships and networks, as well as to chart the way forward with practicable recommendations and examples of good practices. It is planned as a single book in four volumes. Within each part, we take the different stakeholders into consideration – corporates, SMEs, development organisations and NGOs, policy influencers, government, educators, etc. We also reflect on the possible extension of the social, economic and environmental (SEE) triad to incorporate any dimensions unique to the African continent, e.g. legal frameworks and corporate governance, given the rising application of the ESG lens in assessing sustainability in corporate Africa. After suggesting the way forward for African countries working towards achieving sustainability along its different dimensions, the book ends by presenting practicable and innovative ideas for sustainability education for Africa’s future. The African scope is hinged on collaboration from authors across Africa, inclusion of case studies from the five African subregions (East, West, North, Central and Southern Africa) and incorporation of examples across Africa or at least regional trends in the individual chapter coverage. Our core message is that, to deliver effective sustainable management practices for Africa, we need to deepen our understanding of the unique features of the continent.

We propose the following contents and welcome proposals outside of these if you think they fit the intent of the book series (please send all proposals to kogunyemi@lbs.edu.ng by April 25, 2021):

Volume 1

This will focus on the understanding of sustainability and its dimensional meanings in Africa’s unique historical, social, and political contexts, as well as its economic viabilities. Areas to be covered include:

●        Greening as an African concept – Prioritising people. Communitarian perspective to life. The African understanding of past, present and future generativity. Concern for creation and the origins of life in Africa.

●        Nuances and issues unique to the continent. Fears of foreign influences. Future-mindedness

●        Sustainability actors – corporates, consumers, CSOs, media, governments and regulators. A map of the terrain and an introduction to the stakeholders and the state of play.

●        The primacy of people issues in Africa – employment, gender equity, digitisation, access to justice, legal frameworks, financial inclusion, etc.

●        Social equity and responsible business – MNCs

●        The contribution of SMEs to social sustainability in Africa

●        The nonprofit sector (NGOs and CSOs/development organisations) as social change agents and policy influencers

●        The positioning of African governments and local institutions for the struggle for sustainability.

●        Systemic challenges to economic growth in Africa

●        Economic growth and SMEs

●        FDI and its impact on growth

●        Case studies: Social sustainability success stories across the five subregions.

●        Case studies: Building businesses that last – ESG as a tool

Volume 2

This volume will focus on the environmental sustainability issues in Africa as well as paradigm extensions (e.g., governance) specific to the continent beyond the generally accepted dimensions (social, economic, and environmental) of sustainability. It will also explore decision-making and implementation, transferable systems, challenges to the transfer of knowledge and practice, and case studies (small or big, success stories, real challenges, and experiences of failure). The topics would cover:

●        Sustainability dimensions unique to Africa outside of the SEE triad

●        SEE perspectives peculiar to developing economies

●        Governance as a separate dimension of sustainability

●        Impact of large corporates on the environment

●        The (in)visible footprint of SMEs

●        Achieving climate resilience – CSOs, NGOs and policy influencers

●        African governments and the legal frameworks for environmental protection

●        Case studies showcasing and interrogating CSR, greening, or green marketing in Africa

●        Case studies of corporate organisations and SMEs on the path to sustainability in Africa

●        Case studies of CSOs, impact investors; green investors, etc. supporting sustainability in Africa

●        Case studies of government parastatals and other official bodies promoting a sustainable Africa

Volume 3

This volume will focus on new and future trends and the roles and responsibilities of different actors in Africa’s drive for sustainability. The topics should cover the following:

●        The way forward: What can African governments do?

●        Business’s responsibility for a sustainable Africa – MNEs and SMEs

●        NGO and CSO influence and media power for Africa’s future.

●        The role of the media – old and new – in sustainably developing Africa

●        The importance of smaller actors: individuals and families

●        Technology and green tech in Africa

●        Digitisation, Financial inclusion, Social entrepreneurship, Impact investing, BOP systems

●        Reflections on charting the way forward for African countries

●        Case studies reflecting the roles and responsibilities of different actors

●        Case studies reflecting new sustainability trends in Africa

Volume 4

This volume will focus on the role and impact of education as a tool to build a Green Africa. It will explore the optimal use of pedagogical approaches, learning resources and real case studies to develop African leaders and managers with a mindset of sustainability. The topics should cover the following:

●        Approaches to educating managers for a sustainable future of Africa

●        Tools for sustainability education at business schools

●        Training executives and policymakers to integrate sustainability into decision-making

●        Incorporating diversified learning styles into sustainability education

●        Incorporating sustainability concepts across generic curricula

●        Opening sustainability horizons for African children, adolescents, and adults

●        Raising sustainability awareness at the grassroots

●        Case studies on successful sustainability education: syllabi and experiences

●        Case studies of models for sustainability training

●        Future research areas for sustainability thinking in Africa

Please submit a 300-word proposal to kogunyemi@lbs.edu.ng, (the expected full chapter length is 6000 words from the introduction to the references), accompanied by a 200-word bio. Deadline: April 25, 2021.

Unifying chapter structure

·       Introduction

·       Presentation of basic ideas and concepts

·       Practical content (arranged in themes and sub-themes) and real examples (mini case studies)

·       Conclusion and recommendations

·       References

·       200-word bios

·       250-word chapter summary

·       3 to 5 keywords or phrases

For chapters that present and discuss bigger case studies, please ensure you get permission to feature people and corporates as needed.

Timetable for writing and completing the manuscript:

Deadline for chapter proposals: April 25, 2021

Proposal acceptances: May 1, 2021

First chapter draft submissions: July 29, 2021

Preliminary comments: August 7, 2021

Full chapter submissions: August 22, 2021

Peer review process (each contributor to review two chapter drafts): September 8 to October 2, 2021

Action on reviewers’ comments and final chapter submissions: October 28, 2021

Final editorial review and final author revisions if any: November 28, 2021

Full chapter acceptances: December 8, 2021

Manuscript to publishers: December 12, 2021

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