A new cohort of high-growth small and medium-sized enterprises from across Africa and emerging markets has been unveiled under the SME Track 2026 programme, signalling a decisive shift toward founder-led, impact-driven businesses tackling structural gaps in health, agriculture, climate and digital economies.
The programme designed for “growth-ready ventures focused on local and international markets” brings together companies with existing customer bases and proven models, positioning them to scale through structured support that includes developing a 12-month Growth Plan, refining revenue and customer strategies, strengthening market positioning, optimising operations and expanding professional networks.
At a time when African SMEs account for roughly 90 per cent of businesses and more than 50 per cent of employment across the continent, according to development finance estimates, the selection underscores a broader recalibration from startup hype cycles to sustainable, revenue-generating enterprises embedded in real economies.
Health, climate and real-economy solutions dominate
The cohort is led by entrepreneurs addressing fundamental service gaps.
From Burundi, CareConnect Physiotherapy, founded by Arlette Irankunda, is delivering “personalised, evidence-based physiotherapy and rehabilitation services… supporting long-term health and quality of life”, targeting a healthcare segment often overlooked in low-income systems.
In Mozambique, Dericia Massingue’s Consultorio Psicologico Equilibrio is tackling mental health, providing “professional psychological care for individuals, families, groups, and organisations”, while working with companies on burnout prevention and emotional intelligence, an emerging priority in Africa’s evolving corporate landscape.
Climate and circular economy innovation is represented by WEGE Company in Burundi, founded by Jolis Nduwimana, which is “transforming banana waste, paper waste, and rice straw into affordable, reusable, and 100% eco-friendly packaging” in response to the country’s plastic pollution crisis.
Consumer markets, agriculture and value-chain innovation
Across West Africa, founders are reshaping consumer goods and agricultural systems.
In Ghana, Christabel Ofordi’s Afcallo Ventures is building a vertically integrated natural products business, producing plant-based skincare under FlocareBeauty and natural honey under FloFoods, while sourcing from rural processors and supporting women entrepreneurs.
Fellow Ghanaian entrepreneur Richard Okoe, founder of WYN-BG (Woman & Youth in Beekeeping Value Chain), is linking agriculture and sustainability by training smallholder farmers to integrate beekeeping into crop production, increasing yields and generating additional income streams.
In Côte d’Ivoire, Junior Devys Convolbo’s E-Chips is industrialising local crops plantain, cassava and sweet potato into “clean, tasty, shelf-stable snacks” for mass retail, strengthening domestic value chains while creating jobs.
Technology, energy and infrastructure
Several ventures are deploying advanced technologies to address infrastructure gaps.
Nigeria’s Wheatstone Gates, led by Shadrach Akpan, is delivering AI-powered solar energy solutions supported by IoT monitoring, with its assistant “Lisa” providing 12-second response times, multilingual support, and troubleshooting a direct response to unreliable grid infrastructure.
South Africa’s Daily Sambo Services, founded by Valecia Sambo, is tackling water scarcity through plumbing, greywater recycling, and infrastructure renovation, focusing on restoring systems rather than replacing them, an approach aligned with cost-sensitive urban environments.
Creative industries and circular manufacturing
Africa’s creative and manufacturing sectors are also represented.
In South Africa, Sicelo Siyabonga Mabuza’s Homegrown Shandis is producing culturally rooted footwear using sustainable and circular production principles, combining manufacturing with youth and women skills development.
Tunisia’s RAMA, led by Rahma Segni, is transforming recycled plastic into high-performance sportswear, while developing “RAMA Sense”, a smart clothing line integrating IoT sensors and AI-powered performance tracking.
Senegal’s Sidy Aidara, founder of Sassoumane Cosmetics, is building a premium grooming brand using locally sourced raw materials in eco-friendly containers, tailored for hot climates and supported by rural women’s supply networks.
Digital commerce and retail innovation
Retail and digital-first businesses are also scaling rapidly.
Mozambique’s Mulandi Brindes, founded by Vanessa Nhabete, is leveraging social media and mobile money to deliver locally crafted gifts and floral arrangements, streamlining the customer journey “from interaction to delivery”.
Global peers in the cohort
While the programme is heavily African in focus, it includes global counterparts, reinforcing cross-market learning.
Jordan’s BarqBoxes, led by Moayad Al-Najdawi, is delivering Arabic-language STEM kits for children, described as “the only Arabic-first STEM subscription box globally”.
Bangladesh-based Saus Taus Global, founded by Nomrota Saker and Shadman Karim, is building a clean-label condiment brand using local sourcing and digital distribution to scale across consumer markets.
A shift toward scalable, impact-driven SMEs
The structure of the SME Track reflects a broader evolution in global entrepreneurship support, increasingly focused on scaling viable businesses rather than early-stage experimentation. Participants are expected to emerge with concrete growth strategies and stronger market positioning.
The model echoes elements seen in leading global entrepreneurship programmes where emphasis has shifted toward commercial viability, ecosystem integration and measurable economic impact.
The cohort highlights a defining trend where African entrepreneurship is moving beyond startup narratives into operational, revenue-driven businesses solving real-world problems.
From healthcare and mental health to renewable energy, agriculture, manufacturing and retail, these founders are building companies embedded in the daily lives of millions, often in markets where formal infrastructure remains limited.
Crucially, many are integrating sustainability, gender inclusion and local supply chains into their core business models, aligning with global investment priorities around ESG and impact.
The result is a new generation of African SMEs positioned not just for survival, but for scale, businesses that are increasingly attracting attention from development finance institutions, private equity investors and global partners seeking exposure to high-growth, underpenetrated markets.
As the programme makes clear, these are not speculative ventures. They are, by design, “growth-ready” businesses and collectively, they represent a more grounded, more durable phase of Africa’s entrepreneurial rise.
