Open Innovation, Entrepreneurial Mindset, and Innovation Adoption Among African University Students: Cross-Cultural Evidence from Tunisia and Sub-Saharan Africa
Purpose: This study investigates how open innovation and collaboration strategies (OIC), innovation adoption behaviors (IA), and contextual factors (CF) shape the entrepreneurial mindset (EM) of university students in Tunisia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Design/methodology approach: Drawing on a quantitative survey of 269 respondents and using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS3, four hypotheses are tested. Findings: Results confirm that OIC exerts a direct positive effect on EM (β = 0.242, p < 0.001), that IA partially mediates this relationship (β = 0.124, p < 0.001), and that CF also functions as a significant mediator (β = 0.119, p < 0.01). However, the moderating effect of geographic origin Tunisian vs. Sub-Saharan is not statistically supported (β = −0.078, p = 0.071). Practical implications: These findings contribute to the growing literature on entrepreneurship in non-Western contexts by demonstrating that structural factors such as collaborative innovation practices and contextual enablers are stronger predictors of entrepreneurial thinking than cultural origin alone. Originality value: Managerial and policy implications for African higher education institutions are discussed in light of 2024–2026 data on African youth entrepreneurship ecosystems.