| By: Francis Onyemachi
African startups raised $3.9bn across 506 deals in 2025, marking a strong recovery in fundraising after a challenging period for the continent’s venture capital market.
This was disclosed in a new report by Bloomwit Africa, which showed that total technology funding exceeded $4 billion when debt financing is included.
The report revealed that the combined equity and debt funding represented an estimated 25% year-on-year increase, with venture debt emerging as an important source of capital.
According to Bloomwit Africa, the recovery has continued into 2026, with African startups raising $705 million in the first quarter, a 26.5% increase compared with the same period last year.
The report noted that investment activity was strong across startup hubs, including Egypt, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.
“The improvement in funding reflects growing investor interest in Africa’s technology ecosystem despite global funding pressures that have affected venture capital markets in recent years.” the report reads.
Again, the report revealed the growing use of venture debt alongside traditional equity financing is giving startups more options to raise capital while reducing reliance on equity alone.
Investment is also becoming less concentrated in a handful of countries, pointing to a wider and more diversified funding sector across the continent.
According to the report, the distribution of capital across Africa’s leading startup markets shows investors’ increasing willingness to explore opportunities beyond traditional investment destinations.
Bloomwit Africa added that sustained investment in technology startups could drive innovation, business expansion and job creation, further strengthening Africa’s position as an emerging destination for venture capital.
The report also linked the renewed investor appetite to the continent’s expanding consumer market, growing internet penetration, youthful population and improving digital infrastructure, factors that continue to make Africa attractive for long-term technology investment.
African entrepreneurs have continued to build businesses across sectors including financial technology, healthcare, agriculture, education, logistics, artificial intelligence and e-commerce.
Despite the slowdown in global venture funding in recent years, many startups stayed focused on developing sustainable business models capable of attracting long-term investment.
With the economy showing signs of improvement, the report reiterated that investors are backing startups with clearer growth prospects and scalable business models
