Frau Eileen Lara

Sustainability Management

Team

www.susman-chair.uni-wuppertal.de/de/team/

Biografie

Eileen Lara is a skilled electrical engineer and one of Uganda’s few female Certified Energy Auditors. She co-founded the Women in Renewable Energy Association Uganda, which won awards in 2019 and 2020. In her Ph.D. she researches sustainable business model innovations for rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her work critically analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of different business models, emphasizing sustainability and gender inclusion. Additionally, she assesses how private sector-led initiatives can drive sustainable development in underserved areas.

 

Title and abstract of thesis project:

Strategic Adaptations for Sustainable Enterprises: A Holistic Framework for Advancing Sustainable Development through Social, Economic, and Environmental Resilience

This dissertation, structured as a three-paper study, investigates the complex institutional environments confronting businesses in East Africa, specifically focusing on energy access and female entrepreneurship. Despite its vast population, Africa suffers from low modern energy access, with only 48% overall and 33% in rural regions. In Uganda, one of the most energy-deprived countries, private sector initiatives have attempted to bridge this energy gap. However, female entrepreneurs remain underrepresented and slow to adopt these energy solutions in rural areas, whilst urban entrepreneurs are hampered by institutional bias. To explore this issue, the study employs a business model and institutional theory lens using a mixed-methods qualitative approach, which includes interviews, content analysis, and observation to uncover systemic barriers and mechanisms. These systemic barriers, or flawed “rules of the game,” hinder the potential impact of energy access on socio-economic development and women’s empowerment. While women’s entrepreneurship is widely recognized for its role in poverty alleviation, sustainable progress requires reconfiguring institutional norms in both household and marketplace settings. Business models that integrate gender-sensitive practices and adapt to the institutional context are critical for driving meaningful change. This dissertation contributes to the understanding of how private sector-led initiatives can foster inclusive, sustainable development and accelerate Africa’s journey toward universal energy access and economic equity.

 

Papers already presented:

Lara, E., & Trotter, P.A Context-specific macro-level hybrid tensions, and how to manage them through business model innovation. Under review at the Journal of Business Research

 

Publications:

Lara, E., & Kukeera, T. (in press). Business Model Innovation to empower rural female entrepreneurs. In the Academy of Management Proceedings. Academy of Management.

Lara, E., & Trotter, P.A Context-specific macro-level hybrid tensions, and how to manage them through business model innovation. Under review at the Journal of Business Research

E.P. Lara, M.S Abbo. Increasing energy access: A case study of the solar kiosks in Uganda presented at UN Summer Academy 2017 on the topic of Localizing the 2030 Agenda.

R.J. Randle-Boggis, E. Lara, J. Onyango, E. Temu, S. Hartley, Agrivoltaics in East Africa: Opportunities and Challenges 2020 090001. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0055470

G. Limpens, P. Thiran, E. Lara, S. Quoilin Competitiveness of economic growth based on renewable energy: the case of Uganda to 2035 2022 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/PowerAfrica53997.2022.9905398

 

Other academic activities and memberships:

2024   Youth Coordinator Interim Board African Institute of Sustainable Energy & Systems Analysis (AISESA)

2024   Member of INTERA (Interdisciplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship Research in Africa

2025   Member of the Steering Committee INTERA