Diasporic Capital, Knowledge Networks, and the Innovation Performance of Nigerian Technology Firms

This dissertation examines the role of diasporic capital and knowledge networks in shaping the innovation performance of Nigerian technology firms, developing an original theoretical framework that integrates diaspora business studies, the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship, and the international innovation systems literature. Nigeria's technology sector has benefited significantly from diaspora-linked connections, including return migrant founders, diaspora angel investors, knowledge transfers from international technology company alumni, and participation in global open innovation platforms. Yet the mechanisms through which diaspora connections translate into superior innovation outcomes for recipient firms have not been systematically theorised or empirically tested in the Sub-Saharan African context. The study employs a two-phase mixed-methods design, beginning with an ego network analysis of 150 Nigerian technology founders documenting the composition and intensity of their diaspora knowledge network connections, followed by econometric analysis linking network characteristics to innovation output measures including new product introductions, patent filings, and international technology partnership formation. Qualitative case analysis of eight high-innovation firms with contrasting diaspora network profiles provides theoretical elaboration. The theoretical framework integrates the diaspora knowledge network theory, the absorptive capacity model, and the boundary-spanning knowledge brokerage literature. The dissertation develops an original Diaspora Innovation Capital Framework comprising three capital dimensions: financial, knowledge, and relational, and specifies complementarity conditions under which their combined presence generates above-average innovation performance. Original contributions include the ego network methodology applied to diaspora-innovation research, the Diaspora Innovation Capital Framework, and longitudinal causal identification of network composition effects on innovation outputs. Keywords: diaspora capital, knowledge networks, innovation, Nigerian technology firms, entrepreneurship