Abstract:
Notwithstanding the dispersed nature of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus scholarship in the African continent, its strategic importance to the African agenda has gained widespread
attention in research and planning circles. In this regard, the bibliometric science mapping and
content analysis of the WEF nexus scientific publication trends, the conceptual, intellectual and
social structures, as well as the inherent paradigmatic shifts in the WEF nexus body of knowledge in
the African continent have been undertaken, using the nexus body of literature accessed from the
Web of Science and Scopus core collection databases. The review results confirmed that, whilst the
WEF nexus scholarship has expanded since 2013, there is also evidence of growth in the conceptual,
intellectual and social structures of the WEF nexus in the African continent. These shifts have resulted
in the emergence of hot topics (subfields) including modelling and optimization, climate variability
and change, environmental ecosystem services sustainability, and sustainable development and
livelihoods. The review further determined that these structures have evolved along two main
perspectives of WEF nexus research development, i.e., the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary
domains. In support of the interpretation of the visual analytics of the intellectual structure and
changing patterns of the WEF nexus research, the shifts in positivist, interpretivist and pragmatic
paradigmatic perspectives (these are underpinned by the ontology, epistemology, and methodology
and methods) are considered when explaining WEF nexus research shifts: (a) From the unconnected
silo paradigms that focus on water, energy and food (security concerns) to interconnected (and sometimes interdependent or nested) linkages or systems incorporating environmental, social-economic
and political drivers (also viewed as subfields) in a bid to holistically support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the African continent; and (b) in the evaluation of the WEF nexus scholarship based on novel analytical approaches. We contend that whilst the theories of science
change underpin this apparent expansion, the macro-economic theory will find use in explaining how
the WEF nexus research agenda is negotiated and the Integrative Environmental Governance (IEG) is
the duly suited governance theory to bridge the inherent disconnect between WEF nexus output and
governance processes uncovered in the literature. Overall, operational challenges and opportunities
of the WEF nexus abound, transitioning the WEF nexus research to practice in Africa, motivating the
need to take advantage of the scholar–practitioner research underpinnings, as contemplated in the
transdisciplinary research approach, which is characterised by the dual quest for new knowledge and
considerations of use. Yet, there is need for more coordinated and collaborative research to achieve
impact and transition from WEF nexus thinking to WEF nexus practice.
