Migrant entrepreneurship, social integration and development in Africa

Abstract

Waves of migration have resulted in ‘migrant entrepreneurs’ who are often hailed for contributing to economic development, employment creation and poverty reduction in regions of their domicile. The link or nexus between migration and entrepreneurship is important today. While many studies have explained the link between migration and entrepreneurship, more needs to be known about how the link can function to integrate locals and migrants socially. Understanding the link is a crucial tool for locals-migrants social integration in Africa. This article identifies peer-reviewed journal articles, written in English, on migrant entrepreneurship, social integration and development in Africa, following a systematic literature review protocol. A systematic search of scholarly databases was performed using predetermined criteria. The paper seeks to contribute to closing the knowledge gap in the South African context. The results indicate a strong link between migration and entrepreneurship. They further show that migrant entrepreneurship is an important tool for economic development. Primary studies reviewed did not confirm that migrant entrepreneurship promotes social integration between locals and migrants. Conversely, social integration promotes migrant entrepreneurship. This was not consistent with literature sources on other contexts outside Africa.