AFRICAN FAMILY BUSINESSES OUTPERFORM GLOBAL PEERS IN SALES GROWTH – PWC REPORT

Family-owned businesses across Africa are demonstrating remarkable resilience and stronger performance compared to their global counterparts, according to PwC’s Africa Family Business Survey 2025.

The report, released recently, reveals that 66% of African family businesses reported sales growth over the past year, outperforming the global average of 57%. This achievement comes despite persistent challenges including inflationary pressures, tax complexities, and broader economic uncertainty.

Conducted as part of PwC’s larger Global Family Business Survey involving 1,325 businesses across more than 60 territories, the Africa edition gathered insights from 79 family businesses spanning East, West, and Southern Africa. Many respondents expressed optimism, with 53% targeting steady growth and 27% aiming for faster expansion.

PwC highlighted key differentiators for top-performing African family firms: agility in innovation and market adaptation, long-term capital deployment, strong reputation management, strategic tax approaches, and clear purpose-driven leadership. South African family businesses, in particular, stood out with notable double-digit growth rates in some segments.

The survey underscores the critical role of family businesses as engines of economic growth, job creation, and innovation across the continent. As Africa navigates evolving megatrends, these enterprises are well-positioned to leverage their unique strengths for sustained competitiveness.

Analysts say the findings signal promising opportunities for investors and policymakers to support family business ecosystems through enabling policies and succession planning frameworks.