Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Dynamics within Clusters in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study in Cameroon

This paper examines the dynamics of informal social entrepreneurship and social innovation within informal clusters in Sub-Saharan Africa, drawing on a case study from Cameroon. Three clusters were investigated through a qualitative inquiry combining semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The findings highlight the existence of local practices of cooperation and solidarity that fulfill essential economic functions: reducing transaction costs, transmitting skills, and coordinating markets. These mechanisms, though informal, operate as functional local institutions that contribute to the structuring of clusters and to the economic resilience of territories. The analysis is grounded in the perspectives of institutional economics and local development, and it proposes a reinterpretation of clusters as spaces of social innovation largely overlooked by public policies. The paper advocates for greater recognition of these dynamics and for stronger linkages between informal practices and formal development support schemes.