Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and the Role of Telecom Multinationals in Achieving SDG 9 in Developing Economies

Entrepreneurship is vital to the sustenance of local economy of any country. Particularly in the developing economies where there is a need for an entrepreneurial ecosystem consisting of a network of government, Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), start-ups and other institutional bodies tasked to contribute to entrepreneurial innovation and shape the creation of new businesses. Yet, how the contributions of MNEs in the ecosystem help achieve the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been largely understudied. We contribute to the growing body of literature through a qualitative case analysis of four telecom MNEs. We show a novel model that demonstrates that telecom MNEs contribute by “building technology infrastructure” and “information communication technology centres” to support start-ups in Nigeria. Moreover, our analysis revealed the role of government as an exogenous factor mediating how MNEs contribute to SDGs. These findings contribute to the wider discussion regarding the contributions of MNEs to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in developing economies.