The rise of digital platform firms has redefined international business byintroducing new forms of cross-border interaction, value creation, andbusiness ecosystem engagement. Yet, much of the existing literature hasfocused on developed markets, leaving the dynamics of platforminternationalization in emerging markets comparatively underexplored. Thisdissertation examines how digital platform firms from African emergingmarkets internationalize, emphasizing the contextual realities that shapetheir strategies, ecosystem dynamics, and governance mechanisms.Adopting a qualitative multiple-case study of African-founded digitalplatforms complemented by a systematic literature review, this compilationthesis examines how platforms build and orchestrate ecosystems, governacross borders, and navigate fragmented institutional environments. Thefindings reveal three interconnected processes. First, in resourceconstrainedAfrican markets, platforms must build ecosystems beforeecosystem orchestration becomes possible. Second, ecosystem governanceoperates through multi-modal mechanisms such as digital, physical,relational, and community-based, that evolve from partner-led to platformledstructures. Third, platforms act as institutional intermediaries,transforming institutional voids into sources of competitive advantage byintermediating regulatory, financial, market information, labor, and datagovernance functions, while facilitating institutional translation acrossborders.Together, the studies offer a comprehensive view of digital platforminternationalization from an African emerging markets perspective,extending international business, digital ecosystems, platform governance,and institutional theories. Specifically, this research contributes tointernationalization strategy literature by introducing the “communityentry”strategy as a novel mode of foreign market entry and emphasizing theimportance of adaptation as a condition of viability in international markets.It extends institutional theory by providing a refined understanding of howinstitutional voids are not just constraints, but arenas for competitiveadvantage and strategic innovation, through which digital platform firmsprovide institutional intermediation and translation functions. Finally, itiiiextends ecosystem and platform literature by distinguishing ecosystembuilding from orchestration, expanding actor typologies to include semiformaland informal actors, and introducing multi-modal governance. Theintegrated Institutional Navigation Framework (INF) synthesizes thesecontributions, offering a conceptual model for understanding digitalplatform internationalization in African markets contexts. The findings alsooffer practical insights for managers, policymakers, and investors operatingin or engaging with African emerging markets.
Irene Achieng Ochieng (Thu,) studied this question.