News · Press · Financial Times · May 2026
Avatar ranked #1 Fastest Growing Agency in Africa by the Financial Times.
Read the article on FT.com (opens in a new tab)
The ranking
- #1Fastest-growing advertising agency in Africa
- #23Overall on Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026
- 9,000+Businesses evaluated across Africa for a final list of 129
Financial Times and Statista, Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026, ranked by revenue growth.
This year, M&N (Avatar Agency Group) was officially ranked the #1 Fastest-Growing Advertising Agency in Africa.
We landed at #23 overall on the Financial Times and Statista’s “Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026” index: a ranking of the continent’s top 129 companies by revenue growth, drawn from more than 9,000 businesses evaluated across Africa.
When we built this agency, truly independent and 100% Black-owned, people told us that we would never compete with the global legacy networks.
We didn’t try to compete on their terms. We built our own thing, despite the odds. Digital-first and Pan-African, when most agencies were content to stay local.
And we proved something along the way: that African creativity can scale to a world-class level.
Being ranked #23 amongst all African businesses is significant. M&N, our holding company, is proving that a creative agency can earn its place at the table with the continent’s most innovative and aggressive companies.
About the ranking
Now in its fifth year, the Financial Times ranking, compiled with research company Statista, lists 129 African companies by compound annual revenue growth between 2021 and 2024.
To qualify, a business has to be independent and headquartered in Africa, with mainly organic growth and at least $1.5mn in 2024 revenue. Its figures must be certified by the CFO, CEO or another executive.
Fintech, IT and software companies make up nearly 40% of the list. This year an Egyptian fintech took the top spot for the first time, and Kenya overtook Nigeria for the second-most companies.
- 129Companies ranked
- 9.27%Minimum annual growth to make the list
- 5thYear of the ranking
Companies on the list, by country
South Africa dominates, with 50 of the 129 fastest-growing companies on the continent.
Source: “The ranking: Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2026”, David Pilling, Financial Times, 12 May 2026. Summary by Avatar.
African creativity can scale to a world-class level.
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