Economy
Nigerian Startups Attract $1.2bn from $4.8bn Inflow to Africa in 2022
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria remained the most dominant force when it came to funding raised in 2022 as the country saw a total of $1.2 billion injected by investors in startups, according to estimates seen by Business Post.
In a report, Africa: The Big Deal, Nigerian startups, in the year under review, saw 286 deals worth more than $100,000.
This is even as there was a 29 per cent drop in funding into the country compared to $1.7 billion recorded in 2021. For context, Nigeria recorded $440 million in 2020 and $704 million in 2019.
The country recorded two $100 million+ mega deals in 2022, led by Flutterwave’s $250 million Series D in February and Interswitch’s $110 million round announced in May. This is a drop compared to five deals on record in 2021.
“Nigeria is still the largest market by far in terms of funding (286 $100k+ deals, +14% YoY | $1.2bn, -29% YoY),” the report noted.
In 2022, Western Africa was the region that attracted the largest share of both fundings as it recorded 37 per cent of the investments that came into the continent. It also held the lead in the number of $100,000+ deals (37 per cent also) on the continent.
Overall, Nigeria has seen its regional hegemony further challenged in 2022, with its share of regional funding down 17 percentage points to 68 per cent. In 2021, it had 85 per cent, and it was 88 per cent in 2020, while it stood at 92 per cent in 2019.
The West African region topped the charts in 2021, with 37 per cent of deals and an even higher share of funding then (43 per cent). However, last year, the numbers went down 12 per cent to $1.8 billion compared to $2 billion in the preceding year.
East Africa continued in the second spot as it raked in $1.2 billion.
However, the report fingered noted that most of this dip recorded by Nigeria is due to Ghana’s very strong performance in 2022. The country recorded 47 deals over $100,000 for a total of nearly $400 million (estimating PEG Africa’s acquisition by Bboxx at $200m), nearly 8x times more than in 2021. Ghana ranked #5 at the continent level in terms of funding raised in 2022.
Senegal (#6) followed with 19 $100,000+ deals (same as 2021) and $112 million raised (-50 per cent Year-on-YearoY). Its unicorn, Wave, continued to dominate the numbers, though with 82 per cent of the amount raised in 2022 (with $90 million+ in debt secured), and 90 per cent in 2021 (through its $200 million Series A round).
Further behind is Côte d’Ivoire, with a stable amount of $100,000+ deals (12) but saw a 300 per cent increase in funding to $34 million compared to $11 million.
Togo recorded $10 million following Gozem’s $10 million deal with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The report noted that while Mali, Sierra Leone, and the Benin Republic also raised some funding, seven countries in the region recorded no deal at all over $100,000 in 2022.
“Finally, it is worth noting that Western Africa punches above its weight with a higher percentage of funding (37%) than its share of the continent’s population (30%) or GDP (27%). The same goes for its heavyweight Nigeria (25% of Africa’s funding vs. 15% of its population and 17% of its GDP).
“The region averages $4.2 of funding raised per capita, which is over the continental average ($3.2pc). For Nigeria, this number stands at $5.5pc,” the report noted.
Continent-wide, the total amount of funding recorded by African startups amounted to $4.84 billion in 2022, a 7.6 per cent increase from $4.46 billion recorded in 2021.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended its stay in the south for the fourth consecutive session after it shed 1.18 per cent on Friday, March 13.
The unlisted securities market recorded a loss despite closing without a price decliner, and ending with two price gainers led by Geo Fluids Plc, which gained 1o Kobo to sell at N3.10 per share compared with the previous day’s N3.00 per share. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc appreciated during the session by 2 Kobo to trade at 54 Kobo per unit versus Thursday’s closing price of 52 Kobo per unit.
When the market closed for the day, the market capitalisation lost N29.83 billion to close at N2.489 trillion compared with the N2.519 trillion it finished a day earlier, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) crashed by 49.84 points to 4,160.46 points from 4,210.31 points.
Market activity improved yesterday, as the volume of transactions rose 179.5 per cent to 10.4 million units from 3.7 million units, but the value of trades declined by 68.4 per cent to N29.9 million from N95.0 million, while the number of deals weakened by 11.5 per cent to 46 deals from 52 deals.
Central Securities Clearing Systems (CSCS) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 38.4 million units worth N2.4 billion, Okitipupa Plc followed with 6.4 million units traded at N1.1 billion, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc transacted 6.3 million units for N584.3 million.
Resourcery Plc ended the trading session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.6 million, trailed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 130.8 million units valued at N504.5 million, and CSCS Plc with 38.4 million units worth N2.4 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira continued to claw back some gains against the Dollar in the different segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market, as its value was strengthened on Friday.
In the black market, it gained N10 against the United States Dollar yesterday to close at N1,400/$1 compared with the preceding day’s rate of N1,410/$1, and at the GTBank forex counter, it chalked up N6 to close at N1,385/$1, in contrast to the N1,391/$1 it was traded a day earlier.
Similarly, in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it appreciated against the greenback during the session by N5.28 or 0.38 per cent to quote at N1,366.23/$1 versus Thursday’s closing price of N1,371.51/$1.
It also improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the official market on Friday by N21.81 to settle at N1,812.99/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,834.80/£1, and gained N13.86 against the Euro to sell at N1,568.03/€1 versus N1,581.89/€1.
Pressure eased further on the FX market as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continued interventionist operations this week, selling Dollars to banks to boost liquidity after a $500 million boost last week.
This was complemented by inflows from foreign investors, exporters and non-bank corporates, among others, while Nigeria’s gross external reserves remained above $50 billion, the highest since 2009.
The Governor of the apex bank, Mr Yemi Cardoso, also eased fears of a Naira devaluation, saying the country’s financial system has been strengthened by reforms.
Regardless, external pressure looms as the US Dollar strengthened globally due to its war with Iran, now ongoing for three weeks.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was largely down as traders and investors continue to align with current realities.
The market is adapting to the conflict in real time. Early in the war, every headline produced an outsized reaction because nobody could price the tail risk. Now, traders have a framework where strikes happen, oil spikes and bitcoin dips only to recover again.
Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 3.8 per cent to $0.2623, Dogecoin (DOGE) lost 1.7 per cent to finish at $0.0948, Ripple (XRP) slumped 1.5 per cent to $1.39, Solana (SOL) dropped 1.4 per cent to sell for $87.33, Binance Coin (BNB) went down by 1.3 per cent to $653.58, Bitcoin (BTC) declined by 1.1 per cent to $70,670.63, and Ethereum (ETH) decreased by 0.9 per cent to $2,078.78.
However, TRON (TRX) appreciated by 1.7 per cent to $0.2941, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The price of the major crude oil grade, Brent crude oil, closed above $100 on Friday for the second consecutive session, as the Iran war heads toward its third week, with oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still effectively at a standstill.
It gained 2.67 per cent or $2.68 during the trading day to close at $103.14 per barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil grade appreciated by 3.11 per cent or $2.98 to settle at $98.71 per barrel.
Brent futures were up about 10 per cent for the week following the 27 per cent rise seen last week, which marked the biggest weekly gain in oil prices since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. WTI futures, which saw their best week since 1983 last week, ended the week more than 8 per cent higher.
US President Donald Trump said American forces launched a major bombing raid on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, targeting military facilities on the key Persian Gulf outpost while warning Iran that its vital oil infrastructure could be destroyed if shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
The terminal accounts for roughly 90 per cent of Iranian crude shipments, loading millions of barrels per day onto tankers bound largely for Asian markets.
The US and Israel’s strikes in the conflict have largely targeted Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. Oil facilities elsewhere in Iran have been hit, but Kharg’s massive storage tanks, jetties, and pipelines had remained untouched until the latest strike.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed to keep fighting in a message delivered via state television.
There have been a number of attacks on foreign ships in or near the Strait, feeding into concerns that a prolonged war could translate to a global economic shock.
Prices are rising despite the US and its allies rolling out some measures to keep a lid on energy costs.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has agreed to release 400 million stockpiled barrels, the largest such action in history.
The US has issued a 30-day waiver for India to purchase sanctioned oil from Russia. President Donald Trump is considering loosening rules under the Jones Act that require American ships to transport goods between domestic ports, including oil and gas, in an effort to lower costs.
Traders are continuing to monitor developments in the Middle East.
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