Africa's Fastest-Growing Companies 2025
This will be the fourth time that the Financial Times (FT), in partnership with Statista, seek to identify the fastest-growing African companies from 2020 to 2023. The ranking will be published as a special report, in the FT and on FT.com in May 2025 (2024 edition).
The “Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies” report highlights the critical role of innovative, dynamic companies in driving the 21st-century global economy. These firms create jobs and maintain market competitiveness.
Potential candidates may be contacted by Statista or apply directly via the registration button below.
Why should my company participate?
New business opportunities: Inclusion in the Africa’s Fastest Growing is a visible and public acknowledgment of your company’s performance that extends far beyond your specific industry and country. It will also generate attention for your business on the part of potential partners, customers and investors around the world.
Reputation: Corporate growth usually generates demand for new employees. Being featured in the high-profile Africa’s FT ranking will increase awareness of you as an employer and of your potential.
Effective media coverage: FT Reporters will write about standout companies, specific sectors and trends which dominate business in Africa. The ranking will be published as a supplement within the weekday edition of the FT newspaper and the full rankings will appear online.
Employer branding: All companies that make it into the list may use the award logo for marketing purposes upon payment of a licence fee. Your company will still be able to communicate the award , free of charge, as long as it does not use the official label.
Who is eligible?
In order to be included in the ranking your company must meet the following criteria:
- Revenue of at least US $100,000 generated in 20201
- Revenue of at least $1.5 m generated in 20231.
- Independence (the company is not a subsidiary or branch office of any kind).
- Operational headquarter in one of the African countries.
1 Countries that do not use the dollar to express revenues should provide average local currency value equivalent over the course of the relevant fiscal year
How do I register?
1. Online registration
Please register with Statista by January 31st, 2025. Alternatively, you can download the form from the list below and send it to FT-africa@statista.com upon completion.
2. Verification of revenue information
Your revenue data needs to be verified. Please use this form for this purpose. The form must be signed in person by a managing director or a member of your executive committee (CEO or CFO). It must then be sent to Statista by email, fax, or mail by January 31st, 2025.
Downloads
English
Form of Registration as PDF document
Verification Form as PDF document
French
Form of Registration as PDF document
Verification form as PDF document
Contact details
Should you have any additional questions or would otherwise like to contact us, please email FT-africa@statista.com.
Disclaimer: The Financial Times and Statista retain the right to change the criteria and/or produce new criteria at any point in the project’s lifetime.
FAQs:
- Do I have to pay to register?
No.
- Do I have to pay to be included in the ranking?
Not at all. If included in the ranking, your company is free to celebrate its success via a press release, social media, or a company website. Only businesses that want to use the official seal featuring the FT and Statista logos with the title Africa's Fastest Growing Companies 2025 have to pay a licensing fee, in a one-off payment. The seal will be available after publication of the ranking.
- Do I have to purchase the Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies 2025 license in order to point out or make reference to my place in the rankings?
No. All those who apply and make it into the list are free to publicize this fact. The official seal Africa's Fastest Growing Companies 2025, which is available for a license fee, is merely an additional option for those who want to advertise and promote their achievement in a more visually striking manner.
- Is the creation of Africa's FT ranking commissioned and paid for by customers?
No, this project has two revenue sources: revenues from license fees, as outlined above, and advertisements in an FT special report where the ranking will be published alongside FT articles on African company growth trends and profiles. The special report, to appear as part of the FT in print and online, is an independent piece of journalism written and commissioned by FT journalists, drawing on the data collected for the ranking.
- Who is eligible to participate?
In order to be included in the ranking your company must meet the following criteria:
- Revenue of at least US $100,000 generated in 2020.¹
- Revenue of at least US $1.5 m generated in 2023.¹
- Independence (the company is NOT a subsidiary or branch office of any kind).
- Operational headquarter in one of African countries.
1Countries that do not use the dollar to express revenues should provide average local currency value equivalent over the course of the relevant fiscal year
- My company is wholly or partly owned by venture capital, private equity firms or investment funds. Can my company still qualify for Africa's FT?
Yes, as long as it complies with the aforementioned criteria. You can find more information in the note on independence here.
- How do you verify the data provided by participants?
Revenue data are verified through the signing off of this form by the managing director/CEO, the finance director/CFO or a member of the executive committee. The form may be forwarded via email or post.
- When is the registration deadline?
Registration through the online form can be completed between October 4th 2024 and January 31st, 2025.
- Until when am I able to submit the revenue verification form?
The deadline for us to receive this document is January 31st, 2025.
- On what criteria is the ranking of the companies in Africas's Fastest Growing Companies 2025 ranking determined?
The ranking is determined by the revenue growth between the years 2020 and 2023.
- How will Statista calculate the average growth in revenue of a company?
We use the compound annual growth rate. For example, if a company achieved total revenue of US $1.5m in 2020 and total revenue of US $7.5m in 2023, we calculate an average yearly increase of 71%
((revenue 2023)/(revenue 2020))^(1/3)-1=Growth rate
((7.5 Mio.USD)/(1.5 Mio.USD))^(1/3)-1=71%
- The fiscal year of my company does not coincide with the calendar year. However, the survey and the form ask for the total revenue for the calendar years of 2020 and 2023. Which revenue information should I provide?
Please provide the revenue details for the fiscal years which fall predominantly in the calendar years of 2020 and 2023. For example:
06/01/2023 to 05/31/2023 → use this for 2023 as 7 months were in 2023
10/01/2018 to 09/30/2020 → use this for 2020 as 9 months were in 2020
Special scenario - your fiscal years split the calendar years exactly in half:
07/01/2020 to 06/30/2020 and 07/01/2023 to 06/30/2023 or
07/01/2023 to 06/30/2023 and 07/01/2023 to 06/30/2023
You may use one of these combinations of fiscal years. Just make sure you don’t mix them.
- Which definition of revenue will be observed in the Africa's FT list?
Net revenue adjusted for returns, excluding value added tax and derived only from business activities (excluding any other operating income) as disclosed in your company report.
- Are further key data, such as profitability, relevant for the Africa's FT ranking?
As a minimum, we require data on revenue growth. We do not need profit information.
- When will Africa's FT ranking be published?
The ranking will be published in May 2025.
- Which information concerning individual companies will be published by The Financial Times?
The following information will be released about the top companies: the company name, the average revenue growth and the total revenue for the years of 2020 and 2023, the number of employees in 2020 and 2023, the founding date of the company, the URL of the company website, as well as the location of the head office.
- How will I find out whether or not my company has made it into the ranking?
The results of our research will be published in the Financial Times and on FT.com so that the findings can be read and shared by everybody. Before this, the awarded companies will be informed by post of their inclusion in the list.