The Africa B2B Tech Report
Issue No. 90. Africa-Middle East B2B tech news & insights for 16 May 2025.
The Africa B2B Tech Report is a regular curation of news and insights on the development of B2B technology in Africa and the Middle East. We cover the ecosystem of partners, builders, and developers that make emerging tech work for African businesses.
The Report is written and edited by Charles Laughlin, Co-founder & Editor-in-Chief for BigFive Digital. Charles is a tech journalist, conference producer, and moderator.
Are Africa’s MSMEs Keeping Pace on AI Adoption?
Data-driven insights were at the center of the recent BigFive Summit in Cape Town. In particular, we learned a lot about AI adoption by small businesses in Africa and around the world.
Notably, African MSMEs are about as on board with using AI to run their businesses as are SMEs in the United States.
According to Dialog, which measures how U.S. SMEs, agencies, and consumers are using AI, 54% of U.S. SMEs are either “using or testing” AI in the course of running their businesses.
This finding is from an October 2024 survey of 1,500 U.S.-based local small businesses. I shared this data at the Summit on Dialog’s behalf. The survey also found that among those businesses using AI, 50% are using it daily.
Dialog has also measured AI usage among digital agencies, finding that 87% are either using or testing AI in their businesses.
At the Summit, GeoPoll’s Ricardo Lopes shared results from the latest MSME Pulse survey tracking a range of metrics among African micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), including AI adoption.
According to the latest Pulse (a joint effort of GeoPoll and Africa 118), 58% of MSMEs are “actively using AI tools”. Use cases among African MSMEs including using chatbots, ad targeting, analytics and content creation.
The MSME Pulse surveyed more than 600 MSMEs in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia. This is the fourth wave of the MSME Pulse survey. New this year is the support of The World Bank and the International Food Policy Research Institute for the MSME Pulse initiative.
Whether in the U.S. or across Africa, achieving greater efficiency ranks at the top of what small businesses expect to gain from using AI.
View the MSME Pulse presentation here.
View the Dialog presentation here.
Please enjoy this curation of content relevant to the continent’s B2B tech ecosystem for 16th May 2025.
Amid Challenges, Jumia Aims for Profitability by 2027
Six Nigerian Firms Rank Among Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies
Applications Open for Venture 54 Founder to Founder (F2F) Sandbox
MTN Remains Africa’s Largest Mobile Network Operator
Airtel Africa Plans 2026 IPO for Mobile Money Unit
Push for Payments Digitization Driving African Fintech M&A
AfriGIS Launches Resolve Water to Address African Climate Risk
Sponsored Message
Each issue of The Report features a chart or graphic that was shared with us, or that we found online, that is relevant to the continent’s B2B tech ecosystem.
What Does 2025 Have in Store for African Startups?
Once again we turn to Africa: The Big Deal on LinkedIn for this week’s Data Dump. This chart shows that so far this year, African startups raised $800 million. ABD’s Max Cuvellier Giacomelli offered a range of forecasts for howAfrican startup funding will end up in 2025. At the low end, $1.6 billion. The optimistic view? Up to $4.1 billion.
The 2025 BigFive Summit
The 2025 BigFive Summit in Cape Town featured two days of densely packed content and partnership formation. The Summit will return to Cape Town in March 2026. Stay tuned for announcements.
A big thank you to the companies supporting the 2025 BigFive Summit.
Absa Group — Absa Group is a leading bank operating in 12 African countries serving more than 12 million customers.
Nspyre — Nspyre is a digital marketing agency specializing in paid media and SEO.
Dialog — Dialog offers data-driven insights on SME AI adoption.
Networds — Networds is a digital agency specializing in geospatial marketing.
AfriGIS — AfriGIS is a leading African location intelligence solutions provider.