SMS Insights
Insights on African Solo, Micro and Small Businesses (SMS)
Data-driven perspectives, market signals, and point-of-views on the African SMS landscape.
E-Suite Research · August 2026
Can we Break the Solo Trap and Scale?
Why 90% of Nigerian agro-processing businesses remain stuck at solo operator level. A value chain roadmap from Solo to Platform stage
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E-Suite Research · June 2026
We Asked 56 African SMS Businesses What's Holding Them Back. Here's What They Said.
68% said funding. 48% said marketing. But the real story is more nuanced. Original research with real responses from businesses across Nigeria and Kenya.
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E-Suite Research · June 2026
5 SMS Pain Points, What to Do About Them, and Startup Opportunities Hiding in Plain Sight
Practical actions, free tools, where E-Suite fits, and validated problems for builders to solve.
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E-Suite Research · June 2026
How Governments, Institutions, and Organisations Can Address SMS Pain Points
Policy-level solutions, named institutions, university partnerships, and the delivery layer.
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E-Suite Research · June 2026
The 'Missing Middle' Is Not Missing Ambition, It's Missing Support.
Apprx 98% solo operators & SMS businesses. 94% informal. 0.05% large corporations. $236B in opportunities left on the table.
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E-Suite Opinion · July 2026
Senator Remi Tinubu ₦50,000 and a Frying Pan: What Has Akara Got to Do With Africa's ₦50 Trillion Problem?
Government should encourage corporations, not petty trading. Meanwhile what happens to the kuli-kuli seller who has ambition beyond petty-beaning? Could our akara bean be same bean in Heinz's $25B empire?
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