Africa has attracted a combined $4.5 billion in venture capital and venture debt investment in 2023, across 603 deals.
This was contained in the African Private Capital Association (AVCA) 2023 Venture Capital in Africa Report, an industry-leading annual report on venture capital performance in Africa.
The report revealed that West Africa maintained the top spot for the third consecutive year, with Nigeria as the most active country both in the region and on the continent by deal volume.
Southern Africa was the only region to register positive year-on-year growth in 2023 at 20 per cent, signalling a return to the forefront of venture capital on the continent after several years of modest deal activity.
The report added that 2023 was a year of significant socio-political and economic upheaval, which led to a global funding winter that saw investors prioritise safer assets rather than VC investments, stressing that, global Venture Capital (VC) ecosystem has seen a steady global decline since 2022, falling to $285 billion in deal value last year, compared to $690 billion in 2021.
The cumulative effect, it said, is a market size that represents 41 per cent of capital invested in 2021, signifying a contraction of venture funding around the globe in 2023.
Also, Financials (23 per cent), Information Technology (20 per cent) and Consumer Discretionary (17 per cent) were once again the three most active sectors for venture capital investment, stating that, FinTech held its position as the leading vertical in the African tech ecosystem, and investors continued to coalesce around Clean and ClimateTech (second most active vertical).
Gender diverse and female funded startups still lag behind their male counterparts, they accrued 27 per cent of deal volume but just 13 per cent of deal value for the year.Despite the reduced presence of global investors; Fund Managers, Investment Firms and Corporate Venture Capital remained the three most prominent investor types.
The chief executive officer, AVCA, Abi Mustapha-Maduakor said: “despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, Africa remains an important region for venture capital investors, reflected by strong participation in deals across various sectors and geographies.”
According to him, as digital transformation decentralises systems, boosts efficiency, and helps provide new talent, Africa’s Fintech and IT sectors have attracted the most investment.
To him, “while climate action evolves as a critical focus driving capital towards the energy transition, food systems and beyond, investors crowd around opportunities in Clean and ClimateTech. As these trends persist, Africa’s investment community maintains a profound commitment to the region’s growth despite the uncertainty in the global economy.”