This study examined the qualitative dimensions of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into Sub-Saharan Africa, moving beyond aggregate headline figures to interrogate whether such investment genuinely contributed to structural transformation and sustainable human development. Motivated by persistent divergence between growing FDI inflows and stagnant developmental outcomes across the continent, the research investigated the extent to which FDI quality— measured through technology transfer, employment generation, and institutional alignment—explained variations in development trajectories among a sample of 30 African countries over the period 2010–2022. Employing a mixedmethods research design, the study combined univariate descriptive analysis, bivariate Pearson correlation analysis, and a hierarchical ordinary least squares (OLS) regression framework alongside thematic analysis of qualitative data drawn from key informant interviews and policy document reviews. Results revealed that technology transfer intensity (β = .261, p = .011) and employment generation capacity (β = .154, p = .038) were significant positive determinants of development outcomes, while profit repatriation rates exerted a significant negative effect (β = -.229, p = .007). Institutional quality emerged as the strongest single predictor across all regression models (β = .298, p < .001), underscoring the pivotal mediating role of governance in translating FDI quantity into developmental quality. The final regression model explained 61.2% of variance in development outcomes (Adjusted R² = 0.568). Thematic analysis corroborated these findings, revealing two dominant qualitative patterns: the enclave economy syndrome, characterised by limited domestic linkage formation, and the governance-investment nexus, reflecting the conditional nature of FDI's developmental returns. The study concluded that Africa's development prospects rested not on attracting more FDI per se, but on fostering investment of demonstrably higher developmental quality. Key recommendations included the adoption of FDI quality benchmarking frameworks at national and regional levels, strengthening institutional governance to maximise developmental spillovers, and reforming profit repatriation regulations to retain greater capital value within host economies.