Africa Protein - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts 2017 - 2029

Sustainable alternative protein sources are boosting the market demand with application mostly through food and beverages sector

• Plant proteins accounted for the highest end-user application share (84.72%) in the African protein market. Consumer awareness of global issues such as climate change and the unsustainability of animal husbandry is growing. Furthermore, the influence of various celebrities on social media is making plant-based diets popular among the general public. Kenya and Nigeria, for example, were among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of growth in their vegetarian populations between 2016 and 2017. Since consumers are actively choosing food and beverages that blur the lines between groceries and medicine, the nutritional quantity of protein in products is increasing. Sales of meat substitutes and milk substitutes are increasing in tandem.
• The animal feed segment accounts for the highest share of 51.29% in plant protein applications in the market studied. The segment makes significant use of plant protein, mainly soy and wheat proteins, due to their low cost-in-use, excellent digestibility, and neutral flavor profile. The production animal can function at its highest zootechnical level due to the utilization of novel plant protein sources, such as hydrolyzed plant proteins. The personal care and cosmetics segment observed the highest growth over the study period, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.12% by volume. Pea protein is the major contributor to this growth because it reduces TEWL and increases skin water content.
• Plant protein is followed by animal protein application. By application, the F&B sector was the leading end-use segment for animal protein in the region in 2022. The bakery and snacks sub-segments accounted for the highest shares in the F&B segment, with 27.14% and 23.58%, respectively, in 2022.

With rising popularity of plant proteins among Nigerians, the country witnessed the second largest market contribution to the African protein market

• By country, Nigeria registered its dominance in the African protein market, followed by South Africa, in 2022, owing to the rise in veganism among the Nigerian population. Plant proteins are popular in Nigeria, especially soy protein, which has a low cost and high protein content. Hence, as acceptance grows, the Nigerian market is projected to record the fastest-growing CAGR of 6.34%, by value, over the forecast period (2023-2029). The rising disposable income of the population, which increased to USD 45.3 billion in 2021, has also been positively affecting the segment's growth since 2016 and is expected to continue to do so through 2029.
• On the other hand, animal proteins also witnessed demand in the African market. In 2021, it was estimated that around 18-20% of the consumption expenditure of an average Ethiopian consumer was devoted to animal-sourced foods. South Africa is another leading market with a comparatively bigger animal feed industry, accounting for a 33.04% share of the African animal feed sector. Such factors are boosting the growth of the South African segment of the African protein market.
• However, by protein type, plant proteins dominated the market with a share of 63.6%, by volume, in 2022 and are projected to register a higher CAGR of 4.30%, by value, during the forecast period, owing to the rising number of vegetarians in the region. Around 66% of the South African population stated they were interested in plant-based meat in 2021, which fueled the segment's growth. About 81% of consumers had tried plant-based milk, 48% had tried other dairy alternatives, and 44% had tried vegan meat alternatives in 2021.

Africa Protein Market Trends

Per capita consumption of animal protein to witness significant growth

• The market is primarily driven by growing health awareness and recent consumer preference for nutritious and healthy eating. Furthermore, consumers' perception of the high nutritional content of infant formulas due to their understanding of their children's health drives growth in the consumption of infant formulas made from milk protein. However, the increasing prevalence of veganism and the high incidence of lactose intolerance hold back the market's growth. Since 2017, the market has been growing slowly due to changes in South African legislation, primarily regarding dietary supplements, as manufacturers are charged additional costs for product certifications.
• Sub-Saharan Africa's per capita milk consumption has declined over the last two decades. However, the per capita consumption of animals increased to 105.7 g in 2022 from 88 g in 2017. However, considering that the population of Africa will grow from 1.3 billion to 2.5 billion in 2050. This means that more animal protein will be consumed.
• South African manufacturers have embraced innovative production techniques to gain market cost leadership. Increasing demand from working women for high-quality protein infant formulas and the nutritional needs of athletes drive growth rates. With a mature and organized retail sector, it is expected to increase shelf space for protein products, maintaining a large share in the African region. As a result, consumers are increasingly buying protein bars and supplements to meet their nutritional needs and maintain their health. Changing consumer lifestyles and rising healthcare expenditures also play a vital role in the growth of the plant protein market in Africa.

Meat and milk production contributes majorly as raw material for animal protein ingredients manufacturers

• Milk is the raw material for manufacturing animal proteins such as milk proteins, whey proteins, casein, and caseinates. The top five African milk-producing countries in terms of milk volume are Sudan, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and Algeria. Meanwhile, the first four countries produce 52% of total African milk. Local milk production in West Africa has already risen by 50% between 2000 and 2016 to about 4 billion liters in 2019. The production of whey protein has increased due to rising fitness enthusiasts in the region. For instance, in South Africa, 2.26 million people had a fitness and health club membership in 2019.
• Local production cannot yet meet 100% of the demands in the sector. Around 65-70% of consumption comes from local production, and imported milk powder helps meet the remaining needs. In 2018, the European Union exported 92,620 tons of milk powder to West Africa and 276,982 tons of fat-filled milk powder. That is an increase of 234% since 2008. Kenya is the leading milk producer in East Africa. Dairy is the largest agricultural sub-sector in Kenya in terms of income and employment creation contributing to 4% of the overall GDP.
• Based on the current per capita animal product consumption, the feed required for South Africa is 13.3 million tons in 2021, which is projected to increase further in the forecast period due to the rising demand for insect proteins for animal feed in the region. While other animal proteins, such as collagen and gelatin, are manufactured using animal and marine waste in Africa, pigs consume less feed to reduce the extra heat produced by the digestion of feed and metabolism of nutrients, which affects the protein content in them, making it not very preferable for protein collagen production.

Africa Protein Industry Overview

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