The provision of affordable housing remains a critical challenge in developing regions, particularly in African countries, where rapid urbanization, socio-economic inequality, and the expansion of informal settlements continue to hinder sustainable human settlement development. This study conducts a bibliometric review to systematically map and analyze the evolution of research on human settlements and affordable housing delivery, with a specific focus on developing countries, particularly in Africa. The aim is to examine the knowledge structure, key research themes, and geographic distribution of scholarly contributions to identify research gaps and inform future housing policy and practice. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database, comprising 24 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSviewer to generate science mapping outputs, including keyword co-occurrence networks and thematic clusters. The findings reveal that research output in Africa remains limited and unevenly distributed, with South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya contributing most publications. The analysis identifies four dominant research streams: (i) affordable housing and urban housing systems, (ii) socio-economic and housing systems in developing countries, (iii) urbanization and population dynamics, and (iv) land tenure and spatial planning. Despite these contributions, significant gaps persist, particularly in digital housing technologies, innovative financing mechanisms, and circular construction approaches within the African context. The study highlights the need to align housing strategies with Sustainable Development Goal 11 and highlights the importance of strengthening collaboration among policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders to advance context-specific and sustainable housing solutions.