The Best B2B Data Providers for Africa in 2026 (Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa)
Few B2B databases cover Africa deeply, so test before you pay. Sendburg and Apollo both have free plans you can test on Lagos, Nairobi, Cairo or Johannesburg accounts; LinkedIn Sales Navigator is the most reliable way to find the right people; Hunter helps find a company's email pattern; and enterprise tools like Cognism and ZoomInfo are strongest elsewhere.
Africa's fastest-growing B2B markets - Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa and Ghana - are under-served by most contact databases, which were built for North America and Europe. We compared the tools teams use to prospect in Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, Cairo, Alexandria, Accra and Johannesburg, and what to watch out for in each.
Disclosure: Sendburg is our product. We have tried to be fair - where another tool is the better fit, we say so. Prices are from each vendor's public pricing page or widely reported figures as of October 25, 2026; they change often, so check before you buy.
How we compared
- Coverage of the region's companies and decision-makers (we tested searches in the main business cities)
- Email accuracy: is there a verified-email filter, and what happens when an email bounces
- Price for a small team, and whether there is a usable free plan
- Filters that matter for local prospecting (city, industry, title, company size)
- Phone numbers and how much they cost
- Data-protection posture for the region's laws
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Paid from | Phone numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sendburg | Teams testing African markets on a budget | Yes - 10,000 credits/month | $35/month (Growth) | Yes (extra credits) |
| Apollo.io | An all-in-one database plus sequencing | Yes - limited credits | $49/user/month (annual) | Yes (extra credits) |
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator | Finding the right people and job-change alerts | Free trial | Monthly subscription | No |
| Hunter | Finding emails by company domain | Yes - limited monthly searches | Monthly plans | No |
| Lusha | Quick direct dials from a browser extension | Yes - 40 credits/month | About $49.90/month (Starter, monthly) | Yes (10 credits each) |
| Cognism | EMEA phone-verified mobiles for enterprise teams | No (demo) | Custom annual contract | Yes (phone-verified) |
1. Sendburg - best for teams testing african markets on a budget
Sendburg has country and city pages for Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Ghana (Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, Cairo, Alexandria, Accra) with verified-email filtering and automatic refunds for bounced emails. The free plan's 10,000 monthly credits make it practical to test a market before spending.
Strengths
- Free plan large enough for real prospecting, not just a trial
- City, industry, title and seniority filters with a verified-email filter
- Credit refunded automatically if an unlocked email bounces
- Month-to-month plans, no annual contract
- City pages for Lagos, Abuja, Nairobi, Cairo, Alexandria and Accra
Watch out for
- Newer brand with fewer third-party reviews than Apollo or ZoomInfo
- Phone numbers cost more credits than emails
- No built-in email sequencer - lists go to Instantly, Smartlead or your CRM in one click
2. Apollo.io - best for an all-in-one database plus sequencing
Apollo has the largest general database and some African coverage, mostly at larger companies and multinationals. Test SMEs and local firms separately.
Strengths
- Very large global database
- Sequences, dialer and CRM sync in one tool
- Well-known, lots of tutorials and integrations
Watch out for
- Credits are per seat and run out quickly on larger teams
- Mobile numbers use many more credits than emails
- Data quality outside North America and Western Europe varies by market - test a sample first
3. LinkedIn Sales Navigator - best for finding the right people and job-change alerts
In many African markets LinkedIn is the most complete professional directory, so Sales Navigator is essential for mapping accounts - then use a database to get contact details.
Strengths
- The most complete view of who works where
- Lead and account alerts, including job changes
- Strong in every market where LinkedIn is used
Watch out for
- No email addresses or phone numbers - pair it with a contact database
- Exports are restricted
- Per-seat pricing adds up
4. Hunter - best for finding emails by company domain
Hunter's domain search is useful for African companies with a website but little other data: it shows the email pattern and any public addresses.
Strengths
- Domain search shows a company's email pattern and known addresses
- Clean email finder and verifier
- Good free tier for occasional lookups
Watch out for
- Email only - no phone numbers
- Not built for filtering by title, industry and location at scale
- Coverage of small local companies varies
5. Lusha - best for quick direct dials from a browser extension
Lusha can help with mobile numbers for individual lookups, but coverage in African markets is uneven - check a few target profiles on the free plan first.
Strengths
- Simple Chrome extension for LinkedIn and company websites
- Known for direct-dial phone numbers
- Easy to start, no sales call needed
Watch out for
- Small credit allowances - phone reveals use 10 credits
- Fewer list-building filters than full databases
- Costs climb fast at volume
6. Cognism - best for emea phone-verified mobiles for enterprise teams
Cognism is an EMEA specialist and can be worth testing for South Africa and multinational accounts; ask for a sample covering your African targets before signing.
Strengths
- Strong EMEA focus, especially UK and Europe
- Phone-verified mobile numbers
- Compliance tooling (do-not-call screening)
Watch out for
- No public pricing; contracts are commonly reported around $15,000-25,000+ a year for small teams
- Sales-led buying process
- Less depth in some emerging markets - ask for a sample
Africa-specific tips
- Formats differ a lot by country. From our study of verified work emails - Nigeria: 42.5% first.last@, 15.8% flast@, 14.4% first-name-only; Kenya: 40.8% first.last@, 24.0% flast@, 20.0% first-name-only; Egypt: 51.0% first.last@, 12.6% flast@, 9.5% first-name-only; South Africa: 31.9% first.last@, 8.4% flast@, 34.3% first-name-only.
- Many SMEs use Gmail or shared addresses; filter to verified work emails and verify anything you guess.
- Mobile and WhatsApp often beat email for first contact - but respect local consent rules.
- Expect data to be thinner outside capital and commercial cities; widen to country level when city searches come back small.
Data protection
Key laws include Nigeria's Data Protection Act 2023, Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019, South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and Egypt's Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 151 of 2020). POPIA in particular has specific rules for direct marketing by electronic communication - check them before emailing South African contacts.
Which one should you choose?
Testing a new African market: Start on Sendburg's or Apollo's free plan with 50-100 target accounts and measure bounce rates.
Mapping accounts and stakeholders: LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
You know the company, not the email: Hunter's domain search, then verify.
Enterprise team covering South Africa and multinationals: Test Cognism alongside a self-serve database.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best B2B database for Nigeria?
Test before you buy: Sendburg and Apollo both have free plans you can run on Lagos and Abuja accounts, and Sales Navigator helps find the right people. Measure bounce rates on a small batch first.
Is there a free B2B contact database for Africa?
Sendburg's free plan includes 10,000 credits per month with no card. Apollo, Lusha and Hunter also have free tiers with smaller limits.
Why is African B2B data harder to find?
Many companies have little public footprint, SMEs often use webmail, and most databases were built for North America and Europe. Verified-email filters and verification before sending matter more here.
Can I cold email in South Africa?
POPIA has specific rules for direct marketing by electronic communication. Check them, make opting out easy, and keep records of where contact data came from.