The advent of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) presents unique opportunities and challenges for higher education in developing countries, where the empirical research landscape is an emerging but scattered body of literature. This paper conducts a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines to consolidate this field, analyzing 33 studies from Scopus and Web of Science. Using a hybrid synthesis of thematic analysis and ADO-TCM framework, our findings reveal a research landscape dominated by qualitative, cross-sectional studies from a few nations. While scholars have focused on adoption factors and pedagogical roles, our most critical finding is a significant “Outcome Gap”: the literature overwhelmingly investigates adoption antecedents and intentions, while the actual use behavior of faculty and its tangible impact on teaching or research productivity remain sparsely explored. This review synthesizes these findings into an evidence-based gap map and proposes an actionable agenda to guide future research toward more methodologically diverse, context-aware, and impact-oriented inquiry in developing countries.