Factors Influencing the Success of Reward-based Crowdfunding Campaigns in Africa
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2025-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This research investigates the key campaign-level factors that influence the success of reward-based crowdfunding campaigns in Africa, a region where traditional financing remains limited and crowdfunding is emerging as an alternative funding mechanism. Drawing on a dataset of 378 completed Kickstarter campaigns, the research applies a quantitative research approach and explanatory research design to quantitatively examine the strength and direction of the relationship between the key campaign-level factors and Campaign success such as funding goal size, number of backers, campaign duration, narrative length, multimedia presence, and project category. The research consequently employs a logistic regression model to estimate the probability of campaign success based on these predictors. Descriptive findings indicate a 52% success rate, a rate substantially higher than prior estimates for the continent, largely attributable to the stronger digital infrastructure and diaspora engagement associated with international platforms. Additionally, the descriptive analysis presented that projects in creative categories like documentary, photobooks, and public art outperformed those in education, agriculture, or personal causes. While lower funding goals and higher backer counts were significantly associated with success, more traditional predictors such as campaign duration, video inclusion, and description word count, commonly highlighted in global literature, were not statistically significant in this dataset. These findings suggest that while global success factors may apply in part, local digital, economic, and sociocultural dynamics mediate their predictive value. The study contributes empirical evidence to the limited body of African reward-based crowdfunding research and offers practical guidance for campaign creators, platform designers, and policymakers aiming to expand digital finance and inclusive entrepreneurship.
Description
Keywords
Reward-based Crowdfunding, Campaign Success, Kickstarter