The report further noted that African social commerce expanded by 51 per cent yearly between 2021 and 2024, with fashion, beauty and food emerging as dominant export categories.

The report stated that Nigeria’s exports to other African countries reached N4.82 trillion in the first half of 2025, reflecting a 14 per cent increase year-on-year.

The report also cited increased global investor confidence, noting that DHL Group committed over €300 million to Africa in October 2025, describing Sub-Saharan Africa as the fastest-growing trade region globally in the first half of the year.

The report documented a structural shift already under way, noting that African small businesses — from Lagos fashion designers to Nairobi beauty entrepreneurs to Accra food processors — are now shipping directly to customers in London, New York, Houston, and beyond at volumes and speeds that would have been impossible five years ago.

Meanwhile, the continent’s consumer electronics sector continues to benefit from a mobile-first economy, supported by over 650 million smartphones in circulation, and continues to drive sustained cross-border demand.

The report further highlighted the role of MSMEs in driving this transformation, citing examples such as Beevee Emporium, a Lagos-based fashion brand leveraging reliable cross-border shipping to scale internationally.

Speaking on the findings, the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Topship, Moses Enenwali, said the continent’s export growth is being powered by a new generation of digitally enabled entrepreneurs.

He said the African Shipping Outlook 2025 puts numbers to what they have been seeing on the ground, noting that the opportunity is real, growing, and belongs to African businesses.

“What began as informal parcel networks friends carrying goods in suitcases and WhatsApp orders fulfilled through family connections, has formalised into a tiered logistics ecosystem,” he said.

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