Understanding and Promoting Industrial Sustainability in Africa Through the Triple Helix Approach: a Conceptual Model and Research Propositions

Abstract

This paper explores how THA contribute to the understanding and promotion of industrial sustainability in Africa. There is a growing interest in the promotion of industrial sustainability in African countries; however, this attention is without much theoretical understanding. The new development agenda for African economies is industrial sustainability. While the agenda is possible through well-managed interactions between industries, universities, and governments, an exploration of how this can happen remains less understood. Using a systematic review approach, a thematic analysis of the triple helix literature revealed that despite the current limitations, stakeholders can find common grounds to leverage available opportunities to improve innovation and knowledge-based industrialization towards industrial sustainability. This paper proposes a conceptual model and research propositions to guide future research that seeks to illustrate how key stakeholders in the triple helix framework can effectively contribute to social, economic, and environmental wellbeing through industrial sustainability. This paper concludes that maximizing enablers and minimizing barriers that confront possible interconnections and interrelationships between universities, industries, governments, and their intermediaries could be a useful starting point towards the understanding and promotion of industrial sustainability in Africa.