Africa Digital Ad Spend Business Report 206: A $6.5 Billion Market by 2029 – Global Platforms Dominate, Competition Will Shift Toward Localisation, Mobile-First Video, and Commerce Integration

Dublin, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “Africa Digital Ad Spend Market Size & Forecast by Spend Value Across 100+ KPIs by Type of Advertising Channel, Format & Media, Platforms, Pricing Models, Industry, Digital Ecosystem, and Media Buying Method – Databook Q1 2026 Update” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The digital ad spend market in Africa is expected to grow by 12.5% annually, reaching US$4.3 billion by 2026. The digital ad spend market in the region has experienced robust growth during 2020-2025, achieving a CAGR of 9.8%. This upward trajectory is expected to continue, with the market forecast to grow at a CAGR of 15.3% from 2026 to 2029. By the end of 2029, the digital ad spend market is projected to expand from its 2025 value of US$3.8 billion to approximately US$6.5 billion.

Africa’s digital advertising market is evolving at a different trajectory from the Middle East, shaped by fragmented infrastructure, strong mobile dependence, growing e-commerce activity, and widening adoption of local content ecosystems. While mobile-led social media remains the dominant entry point for advertisers, the rise of local publishers, fintech-linked commerce, and regionally adaptive video formats is driving structural change. As the continent progresses toward more formalised digital frameworks, competitive advantage will depend on hyper-local execution, platform diversification, and alignment with varied regulatory and market conditions.

Africa’s competitive environment is defined by the dominance of global platforms, the growing influence of local commerce ecosystems, and the expansion of regional video and publisher alliances. Markets exhibit wide variation in digital maturity, but the overall trajectory points toward broader diversification, deeper local relevance, and more structured regulatory expectations.

Global Platforms Dominate, but Local Alternatives Are Expanding

• Meta retains significant influence across most of Sub-Saharan Africa due to widespread mobile adoption and device-bundled access.
• TikTok continues to gain budget share, especially among youth audiences in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa.
• YouTube anchors video-led strategies, while emerging OTT platforms expand inventory as ad-supported tiers grow.
• Platform fragmentation is increasing as local publishers strengthen content alliances and explore contextual advertising models.

Commerce Ecosystems and Publishers Are Building Advertising Businesses

• Jumia Ads is expanding across markets including Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt, offering performance-led tools for local sellers and consumer brands.
• Retailers and telco ecosystems are evaluating advertising models that leverage consumer payment and identity data.
• Local publishers, including news and entertainment outlets, are integrating SSP partnerships and contextual solutions to capture budgets seeking regionally relevant and brand-safe inventory.

Forecast: Competition Will Shift Toward Localisation, Mobile-First Video, and Commerce Integration

• Retail media ecosystems will expand as digital payments and logistics improve.
• Mobile-first and short-form video formats will dominate youth-heavy markets.
• Local publishers and agencies will gain relevance by offering vernacular content and culturally aligned execution.
• Platforms that can provide compliant data environments and locally contextualised creative tools will strengthen their competitive position.

Social Platforms Anchor Mobile-First Marketing Across the Continent

• Social platforms particularly Meta’s properties, TikTok, and to a lesser extent Snapchat dominate digital marketing in markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa. For many SMEs, these platforms act as both awareness and performance engines.
• Creator-led commerce is emerging, with influencers driving product discovery in categories like beauty, apparel, and electronics. Live shopping experiments are increasing in North African and South African markets, though adoption varies by payment readiness.
• Growth is moderated by differences in data affordability and uneven digital payment penetration across Sub-Saharan Africa. As mobile wallets expand and consumer trust strengthens, the social-commerce pipeline will become more predictable.

Retail and E-commerce Players Are Developing Advertising Capabilities

• African marketplaces most notably Jumia are rolling out self-serve ad formats and performance-oriented tools for local sellers and FMCG brands. These platforms offer high-intent audiences where e-commerce adoption is strongest.
• In markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa, retailers and telco-linked commerce ecosystems are exploring ways to monetise first-party data as consumer transaction volumes increase.
• Adoption will continue to expand where logistics and digital payments mature. However, in countries with lower e-commerce penetration, retail media growth will remain gradual.

Digital Video Is Expanding Through OTT, Social, and Telco Ecosystems

• Digital video growth is propelled by rising smartphone ownership and demand for short-form video and entertainment content. YouTube and TikTok anchor youth-focused video budgets, while regional streaming services such as Showmax are scaling ad-supported models in several African markets.
• Broadcasters are integrating digital extensions alongside traditional TV, offering new ad formats around entertainment, sports, and local language content.
• Video budgets are increasingly shifting toward mobile-first formats. However, measurement fragmentation and variable broadband quality remain key challenges.

Regulatory Structures Are Strengthening but Remain Uneven

• Several African countries including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt are updating or enforcing digital content, privacy, and advertising standards. Requirements around consent, influencer disclosures, and platform accountability are becoming more consistent.
• South Africa’s POPIA continues to shape data governance obligations for global and local platforms. North African regulators are also revising digital content frameworks, particularly around political and commercial communications.
• Regulatory maturity varies significantly across the continent, requiring advertisers to adapt compliance strategies to local enforcement capacity and legal frameworks.

Language Diversity Drives Localised Creative and Media Execution

• Africa’s multilingual landscape spanning Arabic, English, French, Swahili, Zulu, Hausa, Amharic, Yoruba, and others requires tailored creative strategies.
• Brands increasingly use multilingual social and video content to reach distinct cultural groups, particularly in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa.
• Local publishers and agencies are scaling vernacular-first content production, enabling advertisers to anchor campaigns in regionally relevant narratives.

Key Attributes:

A bundled offering, combining the following 3 reports, covering 170+ tables and 200+ figures:

• Africa Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook
• Egypt Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook
• South Africa Digital Ad Spend Market Business and Investment Opportunities Databook

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/p7dtob

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• African Digital Ad Spend Market