The SmartVille Project (LAB 2024; SmartVille Living labs 2024) Team visited Zambian Living lab communities in Luanshimba and Kasisi in September 2024 (Ekman 2024a). As part of the project activities, partners co-develop both formal and informal entrepreneurial learning contents for the African partner institutions and communities respectively. Informal entrepreneurship learning contents ‒ short courses ‒ will be offered through Living labs. The target is in inclusive and lifelong learning opportunities (UNESCO 2024), including the most vulnerable groups in the communities. Furthermore, enabling sustainable growth is also part of the LAB strategy (Lehto 2024).
While visiting communities in Kasisi and Luanshimba, partners organized focus group discussions to identify; 1) current entrepreneurial capacity gaps and needs, 2) potential challenges for living labs, 3) how to organize the education through living labs; (4) potential sustainability issues for the living labs.
The discussions revealed that most of the community members are currently involved in either animal or crop farming, leading to the conclusion that agribusiness is the main dominant field.
![[Alt text: a group of people sitting and discussing outdoors.]](https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/11/869_2024_SmartVille-project-team-creates-entrepreneurial-learning-contens-for-Living-labs-1024x574.jpg)
The following learning gaps were identified: (1) bookkeeping and accounting skills, (2) marketing and market skills and (3) managing crop skills. In addition, general entrepreneurship planning skills were needed. Community members highlighted also that they belong to agricultural cooperatives but are facing some challenges and problems related to the management of cooperatives.
Thus, some community members are exploring other forms of entrepreneurship, such as how to successfully run a family business. However, some members felt cooperatives have a potential to benefit the community as a whole and highlighted the need for education on cooperative management also. In addition, the community identified the need to include training on sustainability issues in entrepreneurship courses (e.g. climate change effects to businesses and also how to evaluate the sustainability of the business). Community members emphasized the importance of long-term collaboration and monitoring the impacts also after this 2-year project has ended to guarantee the successful operation of Living labs in the long-term.
Business accounting and agripreneurship
Challenges identified included potential language barriers and long travel distances. Thus, the learning material may need to be in printed version as well for those unable to access to the Living lab. Community members preferred one-week (half day) workshops for training. The following informal short courses were identified for the two Zambian Living labs:
- Luanshimba provides three courses; 1) Business accounting course, 2) Business company identification and registration course and 3) Business networking course to be facilitated by Mulungushi University
- Kasisi Living lab to provide a course on sustainable Agripreneurship course, facilitated by the University of Lusaka.
As per SmartVille objectives, the learning contents for these courses will be co-created with the Namibian and European partners, based on the community needs. Learning contents will be co-created together with community members, which is an important part of team learning methods (see Ekman 2024b): All members participate in the knowledge creation process in the pilot workshop. The emphasis is to produce practically relevant knowledge that supports the development of sustainable jobs and growth in the rural areas. The final workshop of the learning contents will be given in June 2025 in the Living labs. Participants will also receive a certificate of participation after the workshops.
The final products of this work package are learning competencies and learning courses for the communities and universities. Two reports detailing the process and outcomes of the work package will be available on the project websites (SmartVille Living labs 2024) by the end of August 2025.
Authors
Terhi Saarijärvi, D.Sc. (Econ. & Bus. Adm) is co-leading entrepreneurial learning contents work package with Kauna Mufeti in the SmartVille project. She works as a RDI expert and a coach also in the VALIOT project at the LAB University of Applied Sciences, Lappeenranta, Finland.
Kauna Mufeti, D.Sc. (Information Systems) is leading the entrepreneurial learning contents work package with Terhi Saarijärvi in the SmartVille project. She works as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture, Engineering and Natural Sciences in the University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia.
References
Ekman, M. 2024a. SmartVille in Zambia: case studies and group discussions. LAB Focus. Cited 15 Sep 2024. Available at https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/smartville-in-zambia-case-studies-and-group-discussions/
Ekman, M. 2024b. Team learning: a method to tackle high unemployment rate in the rural parts of Namibia and Zambia? LAB Focus. Cited 21 Sep 2024. Available at https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/team-learning-a-method-to-tackle-high-unemployment-rate-in-the-rural-parts-of-namibia-and-zambia/
LAB. 2024. Developing Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Villages through Educational Living Labs in Namibia and Zambia. Project. LAB University of Applied Sciences. Cited 22 Oct 2024. Available at https://lab.fi/en/project/developing-sustainable-and-entrepreneurial-villages-through-educational-living-labs-namibia
Lehto, V. 2024. Enabling responsible growth with innovation challenges. LAB Focus. Cited 15 Sep 2024. Available at https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/enabling-responsible-growth-with-innovation-challenges/
SmartVille Living labs. 2024. Website. Cited 15 Sep 2024. Available at http://www.smartvillelivinglabs.com/
UNESCO. 2024. UNESCO websites – What do you need to know on lifelong learning? Cited 15 Sep 2024. Available at https://www.unesco.org/en/lifelong-learning/need-know
