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This chapter explores African indigenous wisdom and its orientation to the common good in the practices that characterise responsible leadership and entrepreneurship. Traditionally, a wise leader was grown from the community and steeped in its communitarian traditions which led the leader to apply practical wisdom in seeking the collective good. These considerations of such wise practices are central to responsible management. Based on a qualitative literature review that is complemented with a micro-study (semi-structured interviews) of African sages and on the analysis of wisdom found by chapter contributors to this volume, insights indigenous to Africa are presented and then discussed. The countries referenced across the two studies are Kenya and Uganda (Eastern Africa), Ghana and Nigeria (Western Africa), Egypt (Northern Africa) and South Africa (Southern Africa), thereby providing some geographical spread though far from being exhaustive.

Ecology is a word commonly used in many circles with a focus on the environment and human interactions with it. Human ecology as a concept studies human interaction with the environment in different cultures. Human cultural backgrounds differ and the way the traditional beliefs influence human activities varies from place to place. In entrepreneurship, traditional values can play a role as they often shape the character of practitioners. In the quest for sustainable development, one cannot underestimate the influence of these cultural tenets in shaping the dynamics of the practitioners’ activities. This chapter explores the role of African cultural beliefs, philosophies in cultivating principled entrepreneurship. It presents some traditional values that influenced the mindset of entrepreneurs in the past towards ethical work. These tenets guided the dynamics of trade and responsible management of resources for the benefit of one’s community and of oneself.

This chapter examines the common good orientation of (i) African indigenous wisdom about responsible management in the light of (ii) Aristotelian epistemic architecture of phronesis and (iii) Catholic Social Teaching. Looking at what the chapter contributors found in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda, Cameroon, and Egypt, the authors compare and contrast what common good means in these three great traditions that have done much to shape the world into what it is today and that can continue to help redirect humans into more responsible and sustainable domains of flourishing. The results show that the three traditions have much in common albeit with some nuances due to the disparity in their contexts and cultural settings. The expectation that the wise business leader should judge rightly and act ethically in pursuance of the common good is common to all three. The communitarian element of African indigenous wisdom stands out as the polis where wise leaders are taught and groomed for their responsibilities to the community. Where the person is disconnected from this reality of community, it could become more difficult for him or her to attain and maintain moral uprightness.

Wisdom from Africa comes in different forms: proverbs, adages, folktales with moral lessons, the use of figurative speech which transmit deep messages, a variety of wise sayings, songs, etc. Such wisdom guided many interactions including those relating to trade, entrepreneurship and other activities that drive the dynamics of economies. African communities are well known for a sense of communal living and a concern for others often manifested as solidarity. Aggregating the combined data from the preceding chapters, this final chapter in Volume 2 of Responsible Management in Africa explores the role of these two realities that are part of the African cultural heritage in promoting solidarity and inclusion. Four themes emerge: values-based education, mutual trust, personal social responsibility and sustainability factors. Beyond these four, since responsible businesses ought to have inclusive growth among their goal, they can also apply the knowledge of traditional values such as Ubuntu and Omoluabi for tackling challenges to sustainable development and contributing to attaining an ethical economy.

Responsible management (RM) is a topic of interest in the western world. Contemporary scholars explore ways of integrating responsible management education (RME) within curricula of business school. With the growing interest in the factors that contribute to attaining RM practices, one looks to communities, institutions and whole civilisations in order to learn from them. Such information would be helpful not only for the context from which they originate, but also for institutions with similar goals in different locations around the world. As one of the notable centres of ancient civilisation, Egypt was known for its diversity of occupations including trade. The Egyptian civilisation guided by traditional values flourished in many aspects. This chapter explores the traditional tenets that nourished growth and development of management practices in ancient Egypt as a way of discovering what factors can contribute to RM today. There are attempts to integrate the principles of RM into business practices and education especially into the curricula of business schools. This chapter provides insight to the principle of RME as is seen in contemporary Egypt but also provides knowledge of ancient wisdom that contributes to our understanding of RM in Africa. It attempts to draw from Egyptian heritage while exploring the deeper understandings of RM in Africa.

Responsible management increasingly plays an important role in the sustainability of development initiatives in Africa. This chapter aims to explore indigenous pre-colonial African responsible management practices using ancient Egyptians and the Ndop Iron Industry of the eighteenth century in Cameroon. The management system of pre-colonial African societies was related to the production systems geared to the subsistence needs of the population. Management-related training was gender-based and sustainable. The modern understanding of responsible management is enlightened by investigating the past to see how the practice has evolved. The Egyptian pyramids were built to create an integrated human community. Previously man lived in small, isolated tribes or villages, but the increasing population required a different pattern of organisation and responsible management for optimisation of the Nile River’s resources to irrigate land for agriculture to feed the growing population. The Ndop Plain Iron Industry of the eighteenth century was well-equipped with smelting furnaces, fabricating assorted iron tools for use in agriculture, hunting and in households. The two case studies of historical evidence of indigenous African responsible management have been eroded with time due to disconnect with the past and the ravages of colonialism perpetuated by imperialist Europe. A paradigm shift to reconnect with the indigenous management practices in Africa is recommended as the way forward for responsible management on the continent.

Since independence in 1968, the Mauritian economy has moved from a monocrop economy to a more diversified middle-income economy. In addition, women’s emancipation in the 1983–2001 period has contributed to an upliftment to the business panorama. Attitudes and behaviours of people engaged in business transactions were mainly regulated by traditions, culture and values stemming from their inherent religious beliefs. In Mauritius, the four predominant religions are Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Each one upholds traditional rituals and festivals which serve to maintain certain business decorum in the country and establish strong corporation and business trades. Nowadays, there are business dealings which are increasingly being scrutinised by the public and independent bodies for transparency and accountability, a situation not obtrusive in the past.

This study adopts a phenomenological approach to gain insights into the evolution of tradition, values and culture during the past 50 years. A survey questionnaire was administered to seven (n = 7) purposive participants and one of them was selected for a structured interview for triangulation purposes. The findings suggest a clear decline in the contribution of religion, tradition and culture in modern-day business dealings, especially in the advent of technology and a gradual increase of corrupt practices triggered principally by sociocultural groups mushroomed around religions. The nexus between these groups and the governing bodies further fuels unethical and obscure practices. It is believed that a digitalisation of the business ecosystem would provide some relief and restore business ethics.

This chapter is an exploratory piece based on the historical and cultural background of Yorubaland. It examines the conceptual and theoretical understanding of responsible business management globally, and in Yorubaland, the perception and practice of responsible business management in Yorubaland, and the purposes of responsible business management in Yorubaland. It deploys an extensive review of extant literature, perceptual engagement of Yoruba and non-Yoruba Indigenes on responsible business management in Yorubaland through survey (See Appendix for respondent’s profile), in-depth interviews, and a comparative validation review of the case of an intergenerational business in Nigeria.

The case review showed that the family business viewed the cultural expressions in the family business management as strengths. Values were recurrent features in its success evaluation, and responsibility concerning various stakeholders was a business imperative. The perceptual survey and engagement showed that Yorubaland must and should bring its respect for knowledge and education, promotion of cultural heritage: Ọmọlúàbi, use of traditional cooperative approach to management for talent development and capital generation. Additionally, the Yorubaland can leverage what merit and experience and documentation of techniques and methods employed by successful businesses can afford their institutions, current and future business management practice.

This chapter provides insights for further research: business models, frameworks, and cultural understanding that work for Africa. It posits values as central for connecting other elements of responsible management and the consequential desired results. African (including Yoruba) storytelling and proverbs should be used consciously and often, during strategy sessions and retreats, for personal development plans/personality-archetype profiling, organisational culture mantras, and community/societal development advocacy efforts.