- Convenors:
-
Emmanuel Ejim-Eze
(National Centre for Technology Management)
Deborah Ejim-Eze (Obafemi Awolowo University)
Kehinde Oluwaseun Omotoso (University of South Africa)
Gordon Bubou (University of Pretoria)
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- Chair:
-
Emmanuel Ejim-Eze
(National Centre for Technology Management)
- Format:
- Paper panel
- Stream:
- Agents of development: Communities, movements, volunteers and workers
Short Abstract
Innovations may unfold amid persistent uncertainties & predictable policy shifts. By highlighting how power and agency are negotiated in volatile environments, this panel seeks contributions that re-imagine development as a process rooted not in stability, but in resilience & creative adaptation.
Description
Innovation processes in the Global South increasingly unfold in contexts marked by deep uncertainty, economic instability, policy inconsistency, currency fluctuations, and governance fragility. This panel seeks contributions on studies that have explored how firms, research institutions, and intermediaries navigate and adapt to such unpredictable environments. Drawing on perspectives from innovation systems theory, evolutionary economics, and development studies, the panel interrogates how uncertainty shapes learning dynamics, collaboration, and technological trajectories. We seek
Contributions on diverse cases across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to highlight how innovation actors devise coping strategies; ranging from informal knowledge networks and flexible partnerships to frugal and non-technological innovations that enable survival and adaptation. We also need to how state and non-state institutions mediate uncertainty through policy experimentation, digitalization, and international linkages.
By juxtaposing experiences from developing and emerging economies, the panel aims to illuminate the mechanisms through which innovation occurs despite instability, and how these mechanisms reconfigure notions of resilience, agency, and institutional learning within innovation systems. Ultimately, it asks: How can innovation systems be re-imagined to thrive under volatility rather than be constrained by it? The discussions in the panel will contribute to the Development Studies Association’s 2026 theme of “Power, Agency, and Futures” by uncovering how innovation actors exercise agency and negotiate power asymmetries in crafting alternative futures amidst structural uncertainty.
Accepted paper
Paper short abstract
This paper examines blockchain adoption and innovation in Nigeria amid regulatory uncertainty. Using sectoral and comparative evidence, it shows how ambiguity constrains institutions yet catalyses grassroots innovation, with implications for financial inclusion and adaptive regulation.
Paper long abstract
Blockchain technology adoption in Nigeria has expanded rapidly over the past decade despite persistent regulatory uncertainty and fragmented policy frameworks. This paper examines how blockchain innovation and use have evolved in such an institutional context and assesses the implications for development outcomes. Drawing on secondary data from blockchain analytics, policy documents, and comparative evidence from Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, the study analyses adoption patterns across key sectors, including payments, remittances, and decentralised finance (DeFi).
The paper conceptualises regulatory uncertainty not only as a constraint on formal institutional participation but also as a catalyst for alternative, decentralised, and peer-to-peer innovation pathways. Macroeconomic pressures—such as inflation, exchange-rate volatility, and high transaction costs—combined with strong digital entrepreneurship and developer communities, have driven widespread grassroots adoption of blockchain solutions in Nigeria. As a result, innovation has largely occurred outside traditional regulatory and financial institutions, reshaping the structure of digital financial services.
Comparative analysis highlights Nigeria’s distinctive adoption profile relative to peer African economies, characterised by high retail usage and decentralised innovation rather than predominantly regulated institutional deployment. While these dynamics have supported financial inclusion and reduced transaction costs, they also raise governance, consumer protection, and systemic risk concerns.
The paper contributes to debates on innovation under institutional uncertainty by demonstrating how regulatory ambiguity shapes technology diffusion in developing economies. It concludes by proposing adaptive and coordinated regulatory approaches that can support responsible blockchain innovation while preserving its development potential.