Abstract
Entrepreneurial ecosystems are essential to driving innovation and supporting new ventures across Africa. However, most existing models are built on assumptions drawn from high-income settings and often fail to reflect African realities. This study presents a systematic bibliometric analysis of 684 Scopus-indexed publications from 2000 to 2023. Using VOSviewer for keyword co-occurrence and modularity-based clustering, the study uncovers key research themes such as informality, necessity-driven entrepreneurship, digital adaptation, and alternative finance. Cluster robustness was confirmed through threshold testing. Rather than introducing a new theory, the study adapts existing frameworks to highlight features like informal networks, mobile money systems, and social embeddedness. These findings refine current EE models and offer policy-relevant guidance aligned with SDG 1 and SDG 8.
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