Growth Analysis of Research Output in the Knowledge Management Domain in Africa

This study accounts for the growth analysis of research output in the knowledge management (KM) domain in Africa, using the Web of Science database between 1974 and 2019. The implication that necessitates this study was the intertwined nature of the KM domain associated with other fields of study. The interpretive content/document analysis was used to extract publications using key terms of knowledge management from the Web of Science database within 45 years. The extract of the document analysis and the presentation of results took four weeks. The findings indicated that 2,564 publications such as articles, conference papers, reviews, and proceedings were the platforms used the most within the period. Management was at the top of the list of subject areas. A top journal that publishes KM papers is the South African Journal of Science. The most productive institutions by affiliation were the University of Cape Town and the University of Pretoria, and inter-continental collaboration in research in KM was affirmed with the United States of America (USA). The National Research Foundation of South Africa is among the top bodies that fund research in Africa. The growth analysis of publication output in KM in Africa indicates a slow productivity rate of 6.4 percent within the period covered. This paper demonstrates that the KM domain remains an evolving and interesting phenomenon, which requires integration in different organizations. Every actualization of work performance today by individuals depends on tacit and explicit knowledge application, which forms the spectrum of KM.