Reframing Internationalization: A Holistic Framework for Lusophone African Entrepreneurs

This research delves into international entrepreneurship development, explicitly focusing on elucidating the internationalization entry modes embraced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hailing from Lusophone African nations. It provides a critical analysis of established internationalization frameworks, emphasizing their fundamental characteristics, encountered challenges, and limitations when attempting to portray the nuances of the internationalization process, particularly in terms of entry-mode selection. Drawing from the author’s experiences while investigating 29 Lusophone African SMEs in Mozambique and Angola, this study puts forth an innovative, integrated, and holistic framework designed to shed new light on the internationalization endeavors of these entrepreneurs. This framework considers the contemporary landscape of information and communication technology and the pervasive influence of digitalization in the business arena. It recognizes the pivotal role played by the Internet, web-enabled tools, and platforms, including the dynamic realms of social media and online professional communities of practice. Through synthesizing empirical findings and theoretical insights, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on international entrepreneurship by proposing a framework that bridges existing gaps and offers a more comprehensive perspective. By considering the transformative power of digital technologies and their impact on the strategies of Lusophone African entrepreneurs, this study provides a valuable resource for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to understand better and support the internationalization journeys of entrepreneurs in emerging economies.