A Scoping Review of Social Entrepreneurship as an Approach to Sustainable Development and Addressing Environmental Challenges in the African Union Regional Economic Communities

Social entrepreneurship is a vital mechanism for addressing socio-economic and environmental challenges in Africa, aligning with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Regional Economic Communities (RECs), such as ECOWAS, EAC, and SADC, drive regional integration and sustainable development, leveraging social enterprises to tackle issues like renewable energy access, waste management, and climate resilience. This scoping review assesses the role of social entrepreneurship in promoting sustainable development and environmental solutions within African Regional Economic Communities (RECs), identifying key contributions, barriers, and policy implications. The review involved a systematic literature search across Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, using keywords like "social entrepreneurship," "sustainable development," and "African RECs." Peer-reviewed articles in English focusing on RECs and sustainability were included, with data extracted and analyzed thematically to identify patterns. Social entrepreneurship makes a significant contribution to the achievement of the SDGs across RECs, promoting inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability through innovative models such as microfinance and community-based enterprises. However, impacts vary due to regional challenges, including funding constraints, regulatory barriers, and limited innovation, particularly in CEN-SAD and ECOWAS. EAC and SADC show stronger progress through equitable benefit-sharing and strategic frameworks, while UMA faces political hurdles. To enhance social entrepreneurship's transformative potential, RECs must address systemic barriers through tailored policies, including regional venture funds, regulatory reforms, and creativity-focused education. Strengthening infrastructure and cross-border collaboration is critical, particularly in politically fragmented regions like UMA. Future research should employ mixed-methods approaches to quantify impacts and explore sub-national variations.