Ajer, BasilNgare, LucyMacharia, Ibrahim2023-03-222023-03-222023Ajer, B., Ngare, L., & Macharia, I. (2023). Drivers of innovation in the agro-food micro, small and medium enterprises of Uganda. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies.2044-0839http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/24992ArticlePurpose – With focus on Uganda, this study assessed the factors influencing agro-food micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) innovations. Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and Jinja districts were the locations of the research. Design/methodology/approach – Primary cross-sectional data was collected using structured questionnaire for a sample of 521 agro-food MSMEs in Uganda. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were used to examine the data in SPSS. Findings – The findings indicate that MSME innovation levels were usually high, at roughly 80%. The presence of rules that encourage innovation and reward creative people would enhance innovation that is customer-focused. On the other hand, policies and principles that encourage innovation and the conduct of internal product and process improvement research would promote system-focused innovation. Research limitations/implications – Encouraging agro-food MSMEs to develop policies that support innovation would improve the overall level of innovation, while building the capacity of agro-food MSMEs to conduct product and process improvement research would increase the level of systems-focused research. Originality/value – This study assessed the drivers of innovation in agri-food MSMEs in a developing country. The uniqueness of this study is in assessing the effects of innovation support services on customerfocused and systems-focused innovations.enAgri-food sectorCustomer-focused innovationSystem-focused innovationInnovation policyEmployee rewardUgandaArticle