Abstract
This paper focuses on social entrepreneurship. This form of entrepreneurship differs from commercial entrepreneurship insofar as it generates social value and impact as opposed to purely profit. A social entrepreneur can be defined as “the most powerful force for good in the world […]; a person driven by an innovative idea that can help correct an entrenched global problem [through] system-changing solutions that permanently alter existing patterns of activity” (Ashoka.org). Yet the perception is that social entrepreneurs are simply involved in basic upliftment initiatives in deprived communities, more akin to social small businesses. The reality is that many social entrepreneurs are powerful and innovative changemakers. This paper explores the question of who are these dynamic entrepreneurs and what are their innovations which impact the societies in which they operate? Ashoka, an organisation that have pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship since 1980 continuously identify Ashoka Fellows. These are the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and their Ashoka profiles provide information for better understanding and appreciation of social entrepreneurs, their innovations and their impact on society. A sample of 143 innovative female social entrepreneurs from Africa was drawn from the Ashoka database of 3,500 Ashoka Fellows worldwide. The keyword ‘innovation’ was used, yielding representation of social organisations from areas such as Development and Prosperity, Children and Youth, Business and Social Enterprise, Education and Learning, Health and Fitness, Economic Development and Health Care. All of these entrepreneurs had established organisations and had created value in their communities. Using criteria to determine the level of innovation in the organisation to further narrow down the sample, 13 organisations were identified as truly innovative. The research was qualitative, using content analysis to examine the profiles of the 13 social entrepreneurs and to determine the type, level and impact their organisations. This paper contributes a better understanding of female social entrepreneurs in Africa, their innovations and their impact on people, communities and countries. The findings will be valuable for entrepreneurship educators shaping future entrepreneurs as well as stakeholders concerned with the upliftment of communities.