Bridging Social Value and Corporate Law: A Hybrid Comparative-Integrative Framework for Sustainable Social Enterprise Growth in Nigeria and Ghana

Abstract

Social enterprises function as hybrid organisations that integrate commercial activity with explicit social missions. In many Sub-Saharan African contexts, however, corporate law frameworks continue to reflect a binary distinction between for-profit companies and non-profit entities, creating institutional constraints for hybrid organising. This article develops a hybrid comparative–integrative framework to examine how corporate law environments shape social enterprise growth and social value creation in Nigeria and Ghana. Drawing on hybrid organisation theory, institutional theory, stakeholder theory, and social value perspectives, the study adopts a qualitative comparative legal-institutional methodology that combines doctrinal analysis of statutory frameworks with thematic synthesis of policy and academic sources. The findings reveal strong convergence across both jurisdictions, including the absence of formal legal recognition for hybrid purpose, fragmented registration pathways, and limited governance mechanisms to safeguard social missions. Notable divergence is observed in regulatory flexibility and policy engagement, with Ghana exhibiting greater operational adaptability despite similar doctrinal limitations. The integrative analysis demonstrates that neither legal system currently provides stable institutional conditions for sustaining hybrid missions without explicit statutory recognition and accountability provisions. The article contributes theoretically by extending hybrid organisation and institutional analysis into a West African legal context and practically by proposing regionally informed legal pathways that embed social value, governance accountability, and financial sustainability within corporate law design. The findings hold relevance for policymakers, legal reform actors, and social enterprise practitioners seeking to strengthen sustainable hybrid enterprise ecosystems across West Africa.