At the Intersection of Capital, Governance & Resilience
Dr Nyakatawa is the author of Doing Business in Africa, a work grounded in doctoral research on how South African companies expand across African markets.
Her writing challenges simplistic narratives.
In Can Africa’s Startups Survive on Capital Alone? she argues:
Money can give a business a push. It is the way decisions are made and people are held accountable that keeps it standing.
She introduces key ideas that underpin her broader body of work:
- Governance is not a compliance tax.
- Founder dependency is a structural risk.
- Investor protection and independent oversight are essential.
- Proportionate governance is necessary for early-stage firms.
In The Informal Economy: Africa’s Hidden Engine for Sustainable Growth she reframes informality:
- Informal systems are trust-based governance ecosystems.
- Informality sustains livelihoods and absorbs shocks.
- The challenge is evolution into structured enterprise, not eradication.
Her writing bridges academia, boardroom strategy, and lived African economic realities.