The role of social enterprise in preventing and countering violent extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa

Purpose In the last decade or so, social enterprise (SE) in Sub-Saharan Africa and indeed the rest of Africa has received growing attention within academic, development and non-profit arenas. Equally, preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) has been a major topic of discussion. In this discursive framework, the relationship between SE and CVE has largely gone unnoticed. This paper addresses this “vacuum,” adding to the much-needed scholarship on social enterprises and their efficacy in P/CVE in Sub-Saharan Africa. Design/methodology/approach With no specific disciplinary focus and drawing on an extensive review of scholarly literature on SE, business, terrorism, conflict, peace, preventing violent extremism and radicalisation, the paper identifies five pathways through which SE can prevent and counter violent extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa. Findings SE can prevent and counter violent extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa by mitigating against the factors that pull and push individuals towards extremism. They can provide goods/services while incorporating social marketing designed to neutralise extremist views, provide low-interest loans through microfinance, establish cooperatives and exploit opportunities offered by the creative economy and sports as social businesses, etc. Originality/value The paper argues that in more advanced political systems, violent extremism will almost certainly result from pull factors, while in less advanced political systems, it will result from a combination of pull and push factors. The presence of enabling factors is a necessary condition for pull and push factors to eventually lead to violent extremism. It also argues that social marketing holds a special status as a necessary strategy for social enterprises to have a mitigating effect against violent extremism.