African economies are increasingly judged not only by growth rates, but by how easy it is to start, operate, and scale a business. The 2025 World Bank business environment rankings evaluate countries across 10 domains covering a firm’s life cycle—from entry to exit.

Intra-African trade is gaining momentum as a key pillar of Africa’s economic transformation, despite the continent remaining far less integrated than other regions. In 2024, trade between African countries reached approximately $220 billion, up more than 12% year-on-year.

Pullus Africa, founded in 2022 and led by CEO Opeoluwa Fayomi, is an agri-tech startup based in Nigeria that aims to transform poultry farming by offering a tech-enabled supply-chain ecosystem tailored for smallholder and mid-scale farmers.

MazaoHub is a Tanzanian agri-tech startup transforming smallholder and medium-scale farming through precision agriculture and climate-smart technology.

Founded by Eric Rutayisire (CEO), together with Mamy Ingabire Muziga (Managing Director and Co-founder) and Teddy Segore (Chief Technical Officer and Co-founder), Charis Analytics—a subsidiary of Charis UAS—is a Kigali-based innovator using drone-powered, AI-driven technologies to give African industries real-time visibility into their assets and environments.

Africa stands at the center of a global supply shift, holding about 30% of the world’s critical mineral reserves, including lithium,...