Baobab Briefing: E-Commerce and Online Retail Report

Published 27 July 2020
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Investment into the e-commerce and retail sector in Africa totalled $115.901 million USD across 37 deals in 2019, but the $9.564 million USD figure secured in 2020 (year to date) seems to indicate a cooling of investor interest. However, the number of deals closed in Q2 2020 alone totalled 17, the highest number of rounds-per-quarter over the past 18 months

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused consumers across the globe to turn to online retailers for everything from food and essentials, to entertainment, wellness products, arts and crafts. But is the nascent e-commerce sector in Africa ready to cope with the increased demand?

In this report, we take a closer look at some of the key investment trends, market developments and companies that have caught our eye in the e-commerce and online retail sector.

Breakdown of e-commerce and retail companies in Africa by service type and year founded:

This report was first published in July 2020.

Published 27 July 2020

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