Micro, small and medium enterprises are Africa's economic engine, yet they operate under severe constraints -- acute exposure to instability, resource scarcity, and geographic fragmentation, compounded by managerial capital gaps. My field experiments across Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa show something striking -- digital marketing technologies not only unlock dramatic and sustained business growth, they sharpen the entrepreneurs themselves, enhancing their cognitive abilities and decision-making. Investing in the continent's entrepreneurs, with the right evidence-based tools, may be the highest-return bet in African development.
