Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are vital to economic growth, innovation, and job creation across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Women entrepreneurs are key contributors to this sector, yet they face persistent barriers to accessing finance, which constrain their business growth and broader economic participation. This study investigates the role of financial institutions in closing the financing gap for women-owned SMEs and assesses the effectiveness of various financing mechanisms, including traditional banking, micro-finance, fintech innovations, and government-backed credit schemes. Adopting a quantitative approach, this study utilises structured surveys with women SME owners across multiple SSA countries. Supplementary secondary data from sources such as the World Bank and national financial statistics provide additional context. Econometric modelling and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) are employed to identify key factors influencing loan accessibility, such as collateral requirements, interest rates, financial literacy, and the regulatory environment. Findings reveal that high collateral demands and interest rates remain major obstacles, particularly for smaller or informal women-led enterprises. Financial literacy emerges as a critical enabler of access to credit. While fintech solutions and digital lending platforms show promise in improving access, issues around infrastructure, regulation, and trust persist. Government-backed schemes also contribute positively but are hindered by implementation inefficiencies. This study offers practical recommendations, including the need for harmonised regional credit reporting systems, gender-responsive policy frameworks, and targeted financial education. Strengthening digital infrastructure and regulatory support across SSA is essential to build inclusive, sustainable financial ecosystems that empower women entrepreneurs and drive regional development.

This study explores the integration of Entrepreneurial Coaching (EC) as a pedagogical innovation in Entrepreneurship Education (EE) and its role in fostering Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy (ESE). The aim is to synthesise existing research to understand how EC supports the development of ESE and addresses the knowing–doing gap in entrepreneurial practice. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. The search strategy utilised the Scopus and Litmaps databases, identifying 548 records. After removing duplicates, 407 records were screened based on titles and abstracts, resulting in 96 studies in the final synthesis. Findings reveal that EC enhances ESE through reflective and experiential learning but highlight significant gaps, including limited longitudinal research, the need for scalable coaching models, and a lack of standardised evaluation frameworks. This study acknowledges its reliance on selected databases (Scopus and Litmaps) and the exclusion of non-English publications as limitations, which may have excluded the relevant literature. These findings emphasise the potential of EC to complement existing pedagogical approaches in EE while identifying critical areas for future research to establish its theoretical and practical contributions.

This study presents a systematic bibliometric analysis to identify trends and gaps in research on SME business models and SME performance, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search of the Scopus database (1957–2025) identified 85,494 initial records. After removing duplicates and applying screening criteria, 307 studies were included, with only 22 specifically focused on SME performance. The PRISMA flow diagram illustrates the study selection process. The findings reveal three key research themes: digitalisation, business model innovation, and sustainability. The study contributes to the literature by providing a structured bibliometric analysis of SME business model research, highlighting geographic disparities, theoretical gaps, and underexplored areas, such as the role of institutional factors in SME performance. This imbalance highlights the need for broader geographical representation in future studies. This study emphasises the importance of further research on adaptive and resilient SME business models, particularly in emerging markets. It also recommends greater collaboration across disciplines to advance theoretical and practical insights in this field. By applying a systematic approach, this study provides a structured overview of the current literature and identifies areas requiring further investigation.

Small business failure is one of the biggest challenges faced by developing countries, and business incubators have been touted as a solution to reducing the failure rate of these small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Thus, the number of business incubators has escalated worldwide, including South Africa. Consequently, significant time has been devoted to researching business incubators and their role in SME success. However, the effectiveness of these incubators is still in question, thus a study is being conducted to determine how effective business incubators are in reducing the failure rate of SMEs.The findings show that there are some improvements in SMEs that have been incubated or supported, but not enough to make a dent on the failure rate at the country level, as the failure rate has stubbornly remained the same. One of the concerning key findings is that there is a misalignment between the goals of business incubators (BIs) and the SMEs’ needs. SMEs are looking for access to finance and access to markets, while BIs are offering office space and other support services. BI and SME goals need to be more aligned if we are to effectively enhance small business development interventions and reduce current failure rates. More empirical research is still needed to measure and quantify the effectiveness of BIs to SME failure rates, as no research has attempted to link a business incubator to both the success of individual SMEs and the country’s SME failure rate.

The influence of business incubation systems on family businesses in African economies has not been thoroughly investigated despite the potential contribution of family businesses to Africa’s economic expansion and the attainment of development goals outlined in the Africa Development Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, this study investigates the potential benefits that family businesses in Africa can derive from engaging in business incubation. This study utilised an integrative literature review methodology to investigate the research question. Twenty-three peer-reviewed articles were systematically selected from the Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases using the following combination of phrases: “family business” and either “business incubation” or “business incubator”. The findings suggest ways to create a mutually beneficial relationship between family businesses and business incubators to improve long-term sustainability, promote collaboration, facilitate knowledge transfer, and foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem. It also recognises challenges, such as cultural alignment in family businesses. Business incubators in Africa can improve the sustainability of family businesses, such as during the succession, by offering support, resources, and guidance. The South African experience is a role model for the rest of the continent, in this regard. Future research should broaden the sources beyond the three databases utilised, including non-peer-reviewed sources such as grey literature, and extend the focus beyond developing economies.

This study examines the critical success factors for entrepreneurial coaching in South African business incubators through a qualitative method that involved interviewing 32 participants. The research aimed to identify the factors contributing to successful coaching interventions between coaches and entrepreneurs. The key findings include the importance of demographics, diversity, and cultural intelligence, coaching relational aspects, the coach’s personal attributes, the entrepreneur’s characteristics, the coach’s competence, and coaching elements. The study highlights the need for coaches to possess emotional intelligence, empathy, and a cultural understanding of their coachees. Additionally, the research underscores the significance of coaching programs and methods tailored to the unique needs and characteristics of the entrepreneurs being coached. The study’s findings have significant implications for coaching practitioners and program developers who work with entrepreneurs in South Africa, and it underscores the need for a nuanced and culturally sensitive approach to coaching and mentoring in the context of South African business incubators.