Sustainability intention: mediator of sustainability behavioral control and sustainable entrepreneurship Saadat Nakyejwe Lubowa Kimuli Department of Entrepreneurship, Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda Laura Orobia Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda Humphrey Muki Sabi Information Communication Technology University, Yaounde, Cameroon, and Clive Katiba Tsuma Information Communication Technology, San francisco, California, USA Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report results of a study carried out to establish the mediation effect of sustainability intention in the relationship between sustainability behavioral control and sustainable entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach – This study is cross sectional and correlational. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 384 small businesses. Data were analyzed through correlation coefficients and linear regression using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and the Medgraph program. Findings – The results suggest that sustainability intention partially mediates the relationship between sustainability behavioral control and sustainable entrepreneurship. Results further indicate that sustainability behavioral control and sustainability intention are significant predictors of sustainable entrepreneurship. Originality/value – This study provides an initial empirical evidence on the mediation effect of sustainability intention in the relationship between sustainability behavioral control and sustainable entrepreneurship. To the researcher’s knowledge, no study had been conducted on such an interesting topic using evidence from a developing country such as Uganda. Keywords Sustainable entrepreneurship, Sustainability intention, Sustainability behavioral control, Uganda Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction and motivation Sustainable entrepreneurship is a summation of social, economic and environmental entrepreneurship whereby small businesses incorporate social, economic and environmental aspects in their operations (Vuorio et al., 2017; Mair and Marti, 2006; Koegh and Polonsky, 1998). Sustainable entrepreneurship is seen as a solution to the world’s problems such as poverty, hunger and global warming (Dean and McMullen, 2007; Porter and Krammer, 2011) and as such has attracted the attention of academicians such as Vuorio et al. (2018) who conducted a study on drivers of entrepreneurial intentions in sustainable entrepreneurship using evidence from three European countries (Finland, Liechtenstein and Austria) using a questionnaire survey of University students. Vuorio et al. (2018) call for further studies in other national settings on sustainable entrepreneurship and in this study, we try to respond to such calls. Vuorio et al. (2018) found that entrepreneurial intention is associated with sustainable entrepreneurship. Sustainable and social entrepreneurship differ from conventional entrepreneurship in terms of value creation (Vuorio et al., 2018). Presently, we see social entrepreneurship and environmental entrepreneurship being added to economic entrepreneurship to form Sustainability intention 81 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2042-5961.htm Received 9 December 2019 Revised 3 February 2020 Accepted 4 March 2020 World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development Vol. 16 No. 2, 2020 pp. 81-95 © Emerald Publishing Limited 2042-5961 DOI 10.1108/WJEMSD-12-2019-0096