African startup deal activity weakened again at the start of 2026, with the number of disclosed funding rounds falling back toward levels last seen in the early years of the decade, underscoring how far the market remains from its 2022 peak despite pockets of resilience in funding volumes.
Data from Africa: The Big Deal shows that African startups recorded 26 disclosed funding deals of $100,000 and above in January 2026, down sharply from 40 deals in January 2025 and well below the 45-plus deals recorded in January 2022, which marked the hei
