Nathanael Ojong
Associate Professor
African Studies (AFST) and International Development Studies (IDS)
Graduate Program Director, Development Studies Program
Office: 320 Founders College
Phone: 4167362100 Ext: 22866
Email: nojong@yorku.ca
Discover York Academics Link:
https://discover.academics.yorku.ca/Nathanael.Ojong
Media Requests Welcome
Accepting New Graduate Students
Dr. Ojong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Science. He is an Associate Editor for Business Strategy and the Environment, an Associate Editor for Sustainable Development, and a member of the Knowledge Network of African Experts, established by the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, to help shape economic and social policy in Africa.
His work can be divided into three streams. The first of these asks questions related to how people make sense of credit and debt as well as how they engage in borrowing and lending practices. This work involves a critique of the very narrow economic and technical conception of credit and debt which is prevalent in mainstream economic literature.
His second research stream focuses on the effects of low-carbon electricity generation technologies (e.g., solar parks and solar home systems) in sub-Saharan Africa. This research stream adds a critique to the dominant literature on these technologies in sub-Saharan Africa, which often frames them as technical fixes to the ongoing problem of energy poverty.
His third research stream explores the economic-sociocultural processes and conditions that shape entrepreneurship in the Global South. He is also interested in all facets of small business management in the Global South.
His work has appeared in Journal of Business Research, Nature Energy, Energy Research & Social Science, Environmental Research Letters, Social Science & Medicine, and Journal of Rural Studies.
Degrees
Ph.D., Development Studies, Graduate Institute of International & Development StudiesM.A., Development Management, Westminster Business School
B.A. (Hons.), Political Science, University of Buea
Appointments
Faculty of Graduate StudiesProfessional Leadership
•Deputy Director, Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on African and its Diasporas, York University (2021-2023).
•Co-chair, Academic Petitions & Appeals Committee, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (2021-2023).
•Associate Editor, Business Strategy and the Environment
•Associate Editor, Sustainable Development
Manuscript reviewing for journals:
Small Business Economics
Journal of Business Research
Entrepreneurship & Regional Development
Journal of Small Business Management
Business Strategy and the Environment
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
Journal of Management Inquiry
International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship
Journal of Environmental Management
Energy Economics
Energy Research & Social Science
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Renewable Energy
Social Science & Medicine
Technology in Society
Sustainable Development
World Development
Journal of Rural Studies
Sociological Forum
Science & Public Policy
Resource Policy
Borsa Istanbul Review
Economic Modelling
Africa Journal of Management
Strategic Change
Scientific African
Utilities Policy
International Social Science Journal
Frontiers in Public Health
American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene
BMC Public Health
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
International Quarterly of Community Health Education
Journal of Asian and African Studies
Progress in Environmental Geography
Canadian Journal of Development Studies
World Development Sustainability
Forum for Development Studies
Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance
Telecommunications Policy
International Journal of Finance and Economics
African Review of Economics and Finance
Journal of Trust Research
Social Dynamics
AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples
International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies
Research Interests
(with Fonteneau B et al. ) Social and Solidarity Economy: Our common road towards Decent Work. Reader for the Social & Solidarity Economy Academy 2011. International Labour Organization.
“Social and solidarity economy”, In. Obeng-Odoom, F. (ed) Handbook on Alternative Global Development. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
'Energy Justice and Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: Trends, Narratives and Contestations', In: Ojong, N (ed.) Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: A Critical Perspective, Palgrave Macmillan Cham: London
'Off-Grid Solar Electrification on the Rise in Africa, but Where to?', In: Ojong, N (ed.) Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: A Critical Perspective, Palgrave Macmillan Cham: London
(With Cochrane L). ‘Public Policy and Social Protection in Africa: The Rise of Cash Transfers’, In: Onyango, G (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa, UK, Abingdon, Routledge.
'The Dark Side of the Sun: Solar Home Systems and Their Injustices in Africa', In: Ojong, N (ed.) Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: A Critical Perspective, Palgrave Macmillan Cham: London
(with Simba A) ‘Diaspora networks: a social capital source for entrepreneurship in low-income and emerging economies’, In: Hack-Polay D., Siwale J. (eds) African Diaspora Direct Investment. London: Palgrave Macmillan
Microcredit's Real Revolution [La vraie révolution du microcrédit]. African Review of Economics and Finance, 9(1), 293 -296.
(with Gill‐Wiehl, A & Agbe, E) Cash, Credit, or Kin? Financing Pathways and the Uneven Sustainability of Off‐Grid Solar Electrification in Tanzania and Malawi. Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70009
Interrogating the Economic, Environmental, and Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Sustainable Entrepreneurship. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70031
(with Ofori I. K and Gbolonyo E) Foreign Aid, Infrastructure, and the Inclusive Growth Agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa. Growth and Change, https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.70004
Solar Power and the Struggle for Electrification in Africa. Current History, Vol 123 (853): 175–180.
(with Agbe, E). "This is most likely not the correct vaccine”: Analyzing COVID-19's viral spread and vaccine anxieties in Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi. Social Science & Medicine 328, 116001.
(with Amon, S & Dana, L-P). Informal Entrepreneurship: A Review and Prioritization of Research Opportunities. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship 28 (2), 2350013.
(with Nchofoung, T). Natural resources, renewable energy, and governance: A path towards sustainable development. Sustainable Development https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2466
(with Ofori, K & Figari, F). Towards sustainability: The relationship between foreign direct investment, economic freedom and inclusive green growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Cleaner Production, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137020
(with Gill-Wiehl, A). Yours, mine, and ours: gender, intra-household dynamics, and financing solar home systems in Tanzania. Environmental Research Letters, Volume 18, Number 8.
(with Gill-Wiehl, A). “A lender should not know where you live”: Financial precarity, debt, and everyday life in rural Malawi and Tanzania. Journal of Rural Studies, 97, 314-321.
Energizing entrepreneurship. Nature Energy 7: 392–393
Fostering Human Wellbeing in Africa through Solar Home Systems: A Systematic and a Critical Review. Sustainability 14(14): 8382
(with Ofori I. K and Gbolonyo E) Towards inclusive green growth in Africa: Critical energy efficiency synergies and governance thresholds. Journal of Cleaner Production, 369, 132917
(with Simba A and Dana L-P) Female entrepreneurship in Africa: A review, trends, and future research directions. Journal of Business Research 132: 233–248
Solar Home Systems in South Asia: Examining Adoption, Energy Consumption, and Social Practices. Sustainability 13(14): 7754.
The rise of solar home systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Examining gender, class, and sustainability. Energy Research & Social Science 75: 102011
(with Simba A and Kuk G) Bricolage and MSEs in emerging economies. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. https://doi.org/10.1177/1465750320969621
Indigenous land rights: where are we today and where should the research go in the future? Settler Colonial Studies 10(2): 193-215.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Pathology of the Economic and Political Architecture in Cameroon. Healthcare, 8(2): 1-16.
(with Simba A) Fostering micro-entrepreneurs' structural and relational social capital through microfinance. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 31(1), 1-20.
Healthcare Financing in Rural Cameroon. Societies 9(4), 1-12
Informal borrowing sources and uses: insights from the North West Region,
Cameroon. Third World Quarterly, 40:9, 1730-1749
Trust, cultural norms and financial institutions in rural communities. Review of Social Economy, 76(1), 19-42.
(with Simba A) Trust-Building Mechanisms in Group-Based Microfinance: A Cameroonian Perspective. Forum for Social Economics, DOI:10.1080/07360932.2018.1479648
(with Obeng-Odoom F) Dynamism and resilience of financial institutions in Cameroon. Journal of Economic Issues, 51(1), 181-200.
(with Simba A) Engaged scholarship: encouraging interactionism in entrepreneurship and small-to-medium enterprise (SME) research. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 24(4), 1009-1027.
Gender, the state, and informal self-employment: Perspectives from the mobile telecommunication industry in Cameroon. International Journal of Social Economics, 44(11), 1456-1470.
Remittances, mobile phones and informality: Insights from Cameroon. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 8:3: 299-308.
Credit unions as conduits for microfinance delivery in Cameroon. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics 85(2): 287–304.
Les fragilités de la microfinance au Cameroun. Techniques Financières et Développement, 106, 71-78.
Livelihood Strategies in African Cities: The case of residents in Bamenda, Cameroon. African Review of Economics and Finance, 3(1), 8-24.
Social Finance for Social Economy, Working Paper No. 67, Social Finance Program, International Labour Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2026 | GS/DVST5120 3.0 | M | Research Methods for Development | SEMR |
| Winter 2026 | GS/DVST5105 3.0 | M | Graduate Seminar in Fieldwork | SEMR |
Dr. Ojong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Science. He is an Associate Editor for Business Strategy and the Environment, an Associate Editor for Sustainable Development, and a member of the Knowledge Network of African Experts, established by the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, to help shape economic and social policy in Africa.
His work can be divided into three streams. The first of these asks questions related to how people make sense of credit and debt as well as how they engage in borrowing and lending practices. This work involves a critique of the very narrow economic and technical conception of credit and debt which is prevalent in mainstream economic literature.
His second research stream focuses on the effects of low-carbon electricity generation technologies (e.g., solar parks and solar home systems) in sub-Saharan Africa. This research stream adds a critique to the dominant literature on these technologies in sub-Saharan Africa, which often frames them as technical fixes to the ongoing problem of energy poverty.
His third research stream explores the economic-sociocultural processes and conditions that shape entrepreneurship in the Global South. He is also interested in all facets of small business management in the Global South.
His work has appeared in Journal of Business Research, Nature Energy, Energy Research & Social Science, Environmental Research Letters, Social Science & Medicine, and Journal of Rural Studies.
Degrees
Ph.D., Development Studies, Graduate Institute of International & Development StudiesM.A., Development Management, Westminster Business School
B.A. (Hons.), Political Science, University of Buea
Appointments
Faculty of Graduate StudiesProfessional Leadership
•Deputy Director, Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on African and its Diasporas, York University (2021-2023).
•Co-chair, Academic Petitions & Appeals Committee, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (2021-2023).
•Associate Editor, Business Strategy and the Environment
•Associate Editor, Sustainable Development
Manuscript reviewing for journals:
Small Business Economics
Journal of Business Research
Entrepreneurship & Regional Development
Journal of Small Business Management
Business Strategy and the Environment
International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship
Journal of Management Inquiry
International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship
Journal of Environmental Management
Energy Economics
Energy Research & Social Science
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Renewable Energy
Social Science & Medicine
Technology in Society
Sustainable Development
World Development
Journal of Rural Studies
Sociological Forum
Science & Public Policy
Resource Policy
Borsa Istanbul Review
Economic Modelling
Africa Journal of Management
Strategic Change
Scientific African
Utilities Policy
International Social Science Journal
Frontiers in Public Health
American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene
BMC Public Health
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
International Quarterly of Community Health Education
Journal of Asian and African Studies
Progress in Environmental Geography
Canadian Journal of Development Studies
World Development Sustainability
Forum for Development Studies
Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance
Telecommunications Policy
International Journal of Finance and Economics
African Review of Economics and Finance
Journal of Trust Research
Social Dynamics
AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples
International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies
Research Interests
All Publications
“Social and solidarity economy”, In. Obeng-Odoom, F. (ed) Handbook on Alternative Global Development. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
'Energy Justice and Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: Trends, Narratives and Contestations', In: Ojong, N (ed.) Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: A Critical Perspective, Palgrave Macmillan Cham: London
'Off-Grid Solar Electrification on the Rise in Africa, but Where to?', In: Ojong, N (ed.) Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: A Critical Perspective, Palgrave Macmillan Cham: London
(With Cochrane L). ‘Public Policy and Social Protection in Africa: The Rise of Cash Transfers’, In: Onyango, G (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Public Policy in Africa, UK, Abingdon, Routledge.
'The Dark Side of the Sun: Solar Home Systems and Their Injustices in Africa', In: Ojong, N (ed.) Off-Grid Solar Electrification in Africa: A Critical Perspective, Palgrave Macmillan Cham: London
(with Simba A) ‘Diaspora networks: a social capital source for entrepreneurship in low-income and emerging economies’, In: Hack-Polay D., Siwale J. (eds) African Diaspora Direct Investment. London: Palgrave Macmillan
Microcredit's Real Revolution [La vraie révolution du microcrédit]. African Review of Economics and Finance, 9(1), 293 -296.
(with Fonteneau B et al. ) Social and Solidarity Economy: Our common road towards Decent Work. Reader for the Social & Solidarity Economy Academy 2011. International Labour Organization.
(with Gill‐Wiehl, A & Agbe, E) Cash, Credit, or Kin? Financing Pathways and the Uneven Sustainability of Off‐Grid Solar Electrification in Tanzania and Malawi. Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70009
Interrogating the Economic, Environmental, and Social Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Sustainable Entrepreneurship. Business Strategy and the Environment. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70031
(with Ofori I. K and Gbolonyo E) Foreign Aid, Infrastructure, and the Inclusive Growth Agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa. Growth and Change, https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.70004
Solar Power and the Struggle for Electrification in Africa. Current History, Vol 123 (853): 175–180.
(with Agbe, E). "This is most likely not the correct vaccine”: Analyzing COVID-19's viral spread and vaccine anxieties in Ghana, Cameroon, and Malawi. Social Science & Medicine 328, 116001.
(with Amon, S & Dana, L-P). Informal Entrepreneurship: A Review and Prioritization of Research Opportunities. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship 28 (2), 2350013.
(with Nchofoung, T). Natural resources, renewable energy, and governance: A path towards sustainable development. Sustainable Development https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.2466
(with Ofori, K & Figari, F). Towards sustainability: The relationship between foreign direct investment, economic freedom and inclusive green growth in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Cleaner Production, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137020
(with Gill-Wiehl, A). Yours, mine, and ours: gender, intra-household dynamics, and financing solar home systems in Tanzania. Environmental Research Letters, Volume 18, Number 8.
(with Gill-Wiehl, A). “A lender should not know where you live”: Financial precarity, debt, and everyday life in rural Malawi and Tanzania. Journal of Rural Studies, 97, 314-321.
Energizing entrepreneurship. Nature Energy 7: 392–393
Fostering Human Wellbeing in Africa through Solar Home Systems: A Systematic and a Critical Review. Sustainability 14(14): 8382
(with Ofori I. K and Gbolonyo E) Towards inclusive green growth in Africa: Critical energy efficiency synergies and governance thresholds. Journal of Cleaner Production, 369, 132917
(with Simba A and Dana L-P) Female entrepreneurship in Africa: A review, trends, and future research directions. Journal of Business Research 132: 233–248
Solar Home Systems in South Asia: Examining Adoption, Energy Consumption, and Social Practices. Sustainability 13(14): 7754.
The rise of solar home systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Examining gender, class, and sustainability. Energy Research & Social Science 75: 102011
(with Simba A and Kuk G) Bricolage and MSEs in emerging economies. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. https://doi.org/10.1177/1465750320969621
Indigenous land rights: where are we today and where should the research go in the future? Settler Colonial Studies 10(2): 193-215.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Pathology of the Economic and Political Architecture in Cameroon. Healthcare, 8(2): 1-16.
(with Simba A) Fostering micro-entrepreneurs' structural and relational social capital through microfinance. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 31(1), 1-20.
Healthcare Financing in Rural Cameroon. Societies 9(4), 1-12
Informal borrowing sources and uses: insights from the North West Region,
Cameroon. Third World Quarterly, 40:9, 1730-1749
Trust, cultural norms and financial institutions in rural communities. Review of Social Economy, 76(1), 19-42.
(with Simba A) Trust-Building Mechanisms in Group-Based Microfinance: A Cameroonian Perspective. Forum for Social Economics, DOI:10.1080/07360932.2018.1479648
(with Obeng-Odoom F) Dynamism and resilience of financial institutions in Cameroon. Journal of Economic Issues, 51(1), 181-200.
(with Simba A) Engaged scholarship: encouraging interactionism in entrepreneurship and small-to-medium enterprise (SME) research. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 24(4), 1009-1027.
Gender, the state, and informal self-employment: Perspectives from the mobile telecommunication industry in Cameroon. International Journal of Social Economics, 44(11), 1456-1470.
Remittances, mobile phones and informality: Insights from Cameroon. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 8:3: 299-308.
Credit unions as conduits for microfinance delivery in Cameroon. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics 85(2): 287–304.
Les fragilités de la microfinance au Cameroun. Techniques Financières et Développement, 106, 71-78.
Livelihood Strategies in African Cities: The case of residents in Bamenda, Cameroon. African Review of Economics and Finance, 3(1), 8-24.
Social Finance for Social Economy, Working Paper No. 67, Social Finance Program, International Labour Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Upcoming Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2026 | GS/DVST5120 3.0 | M | Research Methods for Development | SEMR |
| Winter 2026 | GS/DVST5105 3.0 | M | Graduate Seminar in Fieldwork | SEMR |
