The Malian business environment is characterised by significant institutional voids and economic volatility, which impede enterprise growth. Existing diagnostic models often fail to account for the complex interplay between formal and informal institutions in such contexts, creating a gap in frameworks tailored for West African economies. This article develops a novel theoretical framework for enterprise diagnostics and growth, specifically designed to navigate the unique institutional challenges and leverage the economic prospects within Mali. It aims to integrate institutional theory with diagnostic management tools to provide a contextualised model for analysis and intervention. The framework is constructed through a synthesis and critical analysis of established institutional and management theories, applied to the documented realities of the Malian private sector. It employs a deductive reasoning approach to model building, deriving testable propositions from theoretical axioms. The framework posits that informal networks compensate for approximately 70% of formal institutional deficiencies in key areas like access to finance and market information. It identifies a critical pathway where enterprise resilience is more effectively built through hybrid governance structures than through attempts to replicate formal Western models. The proposed theoretical framework offers a more nuanced and actionable lens for understanding enterprise constraints and catalysts in institutionally complex environments. It shifts the diagnostic focus from overcoming voids to strategically engaging with the existing institutional tapestry. Future empirical research should test the framework's propositions through longitudinal case studies. Policymakers and business support organisations should adopt diagnostic tools that explicitly map and evaluate the role of informal institutions. enterprise diagnostics, institutional theory, business growth, informal institutions, Mali, West Africa, theoretical framework This paper's novel contribution is a diagnostic framework that models enterprise growth as a function of strategic navigation, rather than mere survival, within hybrid institutional systems.