African tech H1 2026 funding hits $1.44B as M&A, debt and AI reshape landscape
African tech startups raised $1.44 billion in the first half of 2026, with M&A activity, debt financing, and AI-linked deals reshaping the composition of the funding landscape. A separate benchmark report confirmed a $3.9 billion rebound in 2025 full-year funding across 506 deals, providing a comparative baseline for the H1 2026 figure.
H1 2026: fewer deals, bigger cheques — and that's the uncomfortable part
146 disclosed deals in six months, down from 252 in the same period last year. Yet the total raised barely moved.
That means capital is concentrating. A single Spiro deal — $270 million across two tranches — effectively carried the whole half-year across the line. Strip it out and H1 2026 looks considerably thinner than 2025.
For the early-stage founder who isn't Spiro, the funding rebound is largely a spectator sport.
2 sources
- African Startup Funding Rebounds to $3.9bn in 2025 as Investor Confidence Returns · techeconomy.ng · T2
- $1.44 billion raised in the first half of 2026 · techcabal.com · T1