The Role of an Economic Activation Office in Advancing Entrepreneurship within A Rural Higher Education Institution
Ralivhesa Rendani Justice ORCID ↗ · Chiliya Norman · Anyway Mikioni
International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy · 2026 · Vol. 8 / Issue 5 · 592-600
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Observed 21 Oct 2026, 00:14 UTC
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Abstract
This study examines the role of the Economic Activation Office (EAO) in advancing entrepreneurship within a rural higher education institution in South Africa. The study is informed by Entrepreneurial University Theory, the Triple Helix Model, and the Resource-Based View (RBV), which are integrated to explain how institutional orientation, ecosystem collaboration, and resource mobilisation jointly shape entrepreneurship support. A qualitative exploratory design was adopted within an interpretivist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 purposively selected participants comprising EAO staff, university entrepreneurship practitioners, and student entrepreneurs. Thematic analysis identified four interconnected roles of the EAO: entrepreneurship awareness creation, capacity and skills development, stakeholder collaboration and ecosystem coordination, and institutional support and resource mobilisation. The findings show that the EAO operates not only as an administrative support office but also as a boundary-spanning mechanism that connects students and university resources with external entrepreneurial opportunities. However, limited funding, incubation infrastructure, long-term mentorship, and uneven cross-faculty participation constrain its ability to translate awareness and capability development into sustained entrepreneurial outcomes. The study contributes a rural EAO ecosystem perspective in which awareness and capability development are strengthened by institutional resources and external ecosystem relationships, while rural structural conditions moderate the effectiveness of these mechanisms. The study recommends dedicated institutional funding, cross-faculty integration, formalised ecosystem partnerships, structured incubation and post-training support, and targeted policy measures for rural universities.
Keywords: {'name': 'Entrepreneurship education; Economic Activation Office; Entrepreneurial university; Rural higher education; Entrepreneurial ecosystem; South Africa.'}
Authors & affiliations
Ralivhesa Rendani Justice
University of Venda
Chiliya Norman
University of Venda
Anyway Mikioni
University of Venda
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