Victoria Manya

Victoria Ojoagefu Manya is a PhD candidate at the African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL) and is working on a research project in inclusive innovation entitled ‘The African Start-up Ecosystem: funding, informality, gender inclusivity and the trajectories of maturity’.

Her research employs an investigation into the intersecting impact of funding motivations, informality and gender-inclusive considerations on the growth and maturity trajectories of technology-enabled start-up ecosystems in Africa. Locating this conversation within Nigeria and Ghana, Victoria seeks to comparatively explore the self-organising nature of technology-enabled ecosystems within the digital economy in Africa.

In addition to her PhD undertakings, Victoria works as a researcher at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) and The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) in the field of inclusive pedagogy. She also serves as the research team lead for an African-focused policy intelligence platform that provides real-time and resourced information on policy formulation and development to aid stakeholders to engage meaningfully in ensuring that policy and regulatory risks are substantially mitigated for players within Africa’s digital economy.

Keywords: Ecosystems, inclusive innovation, funding, digitalisation, digital economy, informality, technology, maturity, entrepreneurship.