Sectoral and geographical dynamics have undergone significant reorganization and have strongly impacted the entire continent during the first nine months of this year. According to recent data published by the analytics platform Africa: The Big Deal, the logistics and transport sector has overtaken Fintech for the top spot.
With 780 million USD captured between January and September 2026, logistics accounts for 36% of global resources invested in startups. Fintech follows very closely with 760 million USD collected, representing 35% of the amounts.
The rise of logistics is primarily driven by two major players. Spiro and Moove alone account for 595 million USD.
Conversely, the energy sector is experiencing a sharp decline. Its fundraising has fallen to 187 million USD compared to 721 million a year earlier.
Healthcare is also experiencing a significant pullback with only 21 million USD raised.
Nigeria dominates again
Geographically, Nigeria has regained its position as the continental leader for the first time in four years. Nigerian startups raised 635 million USD during the period.
This amount represents more than double the funds accumulated last year. Four major names such as Moove, Flutterwave, Jumia, and Yellow Card are largely benefiting from this dynamic.
For its part, Egypt maintains steady growth with 445 million USD. In contrast, Kenya and South Africa are recording a marked decline in their performance.
Beyond these four main markets, other nations are emerging. Tanzania, in particular, has accumulated 53 million USD, and Côte d'Ivoire has raised 48 million USD.
Gender disparities
The distribution of funds by gender reveals persistent disparities. Companies led by women have indeed raised 115 million USD.
This envelope represents 5,4% of the total compared to 2,7% the previous year. However, this growth is based almost exclusively on a single 74 million USD transaction carried out by Odyssey Energy Solutions.
Without this transaction, the actual share remains stagnant at around 2%.
The number of structures led by women that have obtained more than 100 000 USD has dropped to 46 units. Exclusively female founding teams capture less than 1% of total funding.
Furthermore, the median ticket size granted to mixed teams is capped at 240 000 USD, compared to 750 000 USD for their male counterparts.
The final quarter
The outcome of the year depends on the performance of the final three months. To surpass the overall performance of the previous fiscal year, set at 3,2 billion USD, the ecosystem must raise an additional billion dollars.
This objective remains ambitious but achievable. Regarding equity contributions alone, an amount of 466 million USD is sufficient to exceed the previous level.
Barring any unforeseen changes, the year 2026 could record the strongest equity balance observed in recent years.
Anselme Akéko
Published on 20/10/26 13:49
The Editorial Team