Company lists · Data refreshed September 2026

Top 25 Development economics organizations based in South Africa

Name: Development economics organizations based in South Africa
Creator: RevenueBase
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Compiled by the RevenueBase Data Team Data refreshed Sep 19, 2026 269 companies tracked

RevenueBase identified 269 development economics organizations headquartered in South Africa as of September 2026 and tracks 8,636 professional contacts across them, including 2,287 with verified work emails. Johannesburg is the largest hub.

This list covers development economics organizations headquartered in South Africa, matched on what each company actually does as described in its own words. Ranked by team size, largest first. Every row shows the company's own description, its RevenueBase Smart Search rating, and when it was last checked. Data refreshed September 19, 2026.

Published by RevenueBase, a B2B data infrastructure company. This list was built with RevenueBase Smart Search, the natural-language company search RevenueBase customers use to build their own targeted lists and unlock verified emails and direct dials at the companies on them. How these lists are built and judged.

How to read this list HQ checked on every row RevenueBase Smart Search rating on every row Refreshed Sep 19, 2026 86% judged on-target in blind review

269Companies

8,636Contacts tracked

2,287Verified emails

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The 25 largest development economics organizations based in South Africa

Ranked by team size

Top 25 of 269 development economics organizations based in South Africa, ranked by team size, largest first. Data refreshed Sep 19, 2026. RevenueBase Smart Search rates how each company's information relates to development economics organizations: strong evidence (its own description names it), partial (names part of it), indirect (matched on the rest of its profile rather than the description shown). Click a contact count to view that company's people.
#	Company	RevenueBase Smart Search	Headquarters	Employees	Contacts
1	Forafrika	Indirect evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	501-1,000	322 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “ForAfrika is an African-founded and led organisation, with over 40 years of impact across the continent, and a vision to see Africa thrive.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
2	Wild Impact	Indirect evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	209 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Wild Impact (previously known as Africa Foundation) is a registered, non-profit organisation in South Africa that uplifts, up- skills and empowers rural communities primarily…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
3	Lima Rural Development Foundation	Partial evidence	Pietermaritzburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	176 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Lima Rural Development Foundation promotes dignified, sustainable and transformative community growth across South Africa and worldwide.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
4	Seriti Institute NPC	Partial evidence	Midrand, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	n/a	164 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Seriti Institute (Seriti), formed in 2009, is a development facilitation agency helping communities and its social partners reach their goals by delivering innovative, sustainable…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
5	Small Enterprise Development Agency	Indirect evidence	East London, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	130 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “We make it our Business to Develop your Business.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
6	Edge Growth	Indirect evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	123 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Edge Growth achieves real transformation by partnering with corporates and growing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who in turn create jobs for the unemployed.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
7	BMA	Partial evidence	Durban, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	112 contacts →
	Partial evidence “For over two decades our methodologies and tools have supported the growth and development of industrial sectors.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
8	Cenfri	Partial evidence	Cape Town, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	90 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Founded in 2008, Cenfri is an independent, not-for-profit development consultancy.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
9	Urban-Econ Development Economists	Strong evidence	Pretoria, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	85 contacts →
	Strong evidence “URBAN-ECON Development Economists (Pty) Ltd is a professional consultancy firm specialising in the field of development economics.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
10	Kagiso Trust KT	Partial evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	75 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Overcoming poverty through sustainable development programmes in education, institutional capacity building, socioeconomic development & financial sustainability” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
11	African Circular Economy Network Acen	Indirect evidence	Cape Town, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	69 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “The African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) is a registered Non-Profit Organisation in South Africa (195-590 NPO).” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
12	MEDO	Strong evidence	Braamfontein, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	62 contacts →
	Strong evidence “MEDO, the Meta Economic Development Organisation (NPC) is a non-profit company involved with development on all spheres of economic growth.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
13	Islamic Relief South Africa	Indirect evidence	Cape Town, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	53 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Islamic Relief SA is an independently registered NGO affiliated to Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), one of the world’s largest independent humanitarian organizations, which has a…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
14	National Development Agency RSA	Partial evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	51 contacts →
	Partial evidence “The National Development Agency (NDA) as a public entity has been tasked with the responsibility of contributing towards the eradication of poverty in South Africa.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
15	Krutham	Indirect evidence	Sandton, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	38 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Krutham is a leading think tank and consulting firm focused on developing financial systems to better achieve social goals.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
16	Hand In Hand Southern Africa	Partial evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	36 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Hand in Hand Development was founded in 2008 with a key-strategic focus on poverty alleviation through job creation.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
17	Digital Frontiers	Partial evidence	Cape Town, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	51-200	33 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Digital Frontiers is an African non-profit that strengthens people and institutions to drive inclusive development in the digital economy.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
18	Tshani Consulting C.C	Partial evidence	East London, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	33 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Tshani Consulting CC is a multi-disciplinary company providing professional advise and services in "Development Planning".” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
19	Tips NPC	Indirect evidence	Pretoria, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	32 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “TIPS is a non-profit company (NPC) based in Pretoria.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
20	Institute For Economic Justice IEJ	Partial evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	32 contacts →
	Partial evidence “The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) is a progressive economic policy think tank working towards a just society characterised by an equitable distribution of resources…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
21	Social Surveys Africa	Indirect evidence	Johannesburg, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	32 contacts →
	Indirect evidence “Social Surveys Africa is an Africa based, Africa focused, and African centric organisation that provides evidence based strategic insights.We are a leading specialist in social &…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
22	Engeli Enterprise Development	Partial evidence	Port Elizabeth, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	31 contacts →
	Partial evidence “Engeli Enterprise Development was established by a group of Enterprise Development Specialists who have more than 50 years of collective experience, both locally and abroad.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
23	Southern Hemisphere	Partial evidence	Cape Town, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	31 contacts →
	Partial evidence “SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE is a leading, dynamic, socioeconomic development consultancy that contributes to creating a better world through strengthening transformative processes for…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
24	ED Platform	Strong evidence	Sandton, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	30 contacts →
	Strong evidence “At ED Platform, we view economic development as:'The sustained, concerted action of Policy Makers, Businesses and Communities that promote the standard of living and economic…” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026
25	DNA Economics	Partial evidence	City Of Tshwane, South AfricaHQ checked Sep 19, 2026	11-50	30 contacts →
	Partial evidence “In an increasingly complex commercial and policy environment, economic thinking and advice can provide a clear, logical framework for decision-making.” Source: RevenueBase Database · checked Sep 19, 2026

RevenueBase Smart Search

RevenueBase Smart Search assesses information from a company’s LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website, and other publicly available sources. It uses that information to rate how closely the company relates to this list’s category: development economics organizations. Every row carries its rating and the description the rating was read from, so each one can be checked rather than taken on trust.

Strong evidence: The company's own public description of its business names development economics organizations.
Partial evidence: Its own public description names part of development economics organizations, so it works in or next to the category without describing itself that way.
Indirect evidence: The description shown does not name development economics organizations. The match rests on the rest of the company's public profile rather than the one sentence quoted here, so this is the rating to check first.

RevenueBase Smart Search is how these lists are built: RevenueBase's data engine and AI assemble the companies that match a category defined in a user's own words, so a list can be about what companies actually do rather than about whichever industry code they were filed under.

Showing 25 of 269 development economics organizations based in South Africa

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Development economics organizations based in South Africa at a glance

As of Sep 19, 2026

26.5%Verified-email coverage

32.1Average contacts per company

1-10Median size (employees)

25.3%Largest-city concentration · Johannesburg

Sep 19, 2026Page data refreshed

Companies by employee count

1-10

141

11-50

51-200

201-500

501-1,000

1,001-5,000

10001+

Email recency for this list is measured worldwide rather than for South Africa, so it is reported there. Company counts and contact totals on this page are exact for South Africa, over 269 companies.

How this list was built

Company categories are rarely black and white. RevenueBase reads each company's own description of its business to decide whether it belongs among development economics organizations, so some rows will be adjacent to the category rather than pure plays. The description and RevenueBase Smart Search rating on every row are there so you can check each match yourself.

Source: The RevenueBase company graph: 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts resolved from primary sources, queried with RevenueBase Smart Search, the natural-language company search available to every RevenueBase user.
What qualifies: Companies headquartered in South Africa whose own description of what they do matches “development economics organizations”. Matching reads each company's description, not its industry code or its name.
RevenueBase Smart Search: RevenueBase Smart Search is how this list is assembled and how each row is rated. RevenueBase's data engine and AI assess a company's LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website and other publicly available information, then relate it to a category defined in a user's own words. Each row is rated strong evidence (its own description names development economics organizations), partial evidence (it names part of the category) or indirect evidence (the description shown names none of it and the match rests on the rest of the company's profile). The description supporting each rating is quoted on the row.
What we exclude: Companies whose own description does not clearly place them among development economics organizations, and records with no verified work email. Companies headquartered outside South Africa are excluded even when they keep an office there.
Match quality: In blind human judging of this matching method, 86% of matched companies were on target. Expect roughly 1 in 7 rows to be adjacent to the category rather than a pure play. Every row shows the company's own description and its RevenueBase Smart Search rating so you can judge each match yourself. Read the full methodology: how the lists are built, how the judging worked, and what the figure means.
Ranking: Team size, largest first: companies are ordered by the number of professionals RevenueBase tracks at each one. Employee ranges shown are reported bands, for context.
Verification: Every listed company carries at least one verified work email, 2,287 across the full list. Contacts re-verify on a rolling cadence, and each contact's own verification date is shown inside RevenueBase.
Refresh: This page's figures were pulled from the company graph on September 19, 2026. Lists refresh periodically as the graph is re-checked.
Corrections: Wrong category, wrong headquarters, or a company that has closed? Use “Report an issue” on any row. Reports go to the RevenueBase Data Team and feed back into the company graph.

Development economics organizations by metro

Frequently asked

What is RevenueBase Smart Search?

RevenueBase Smart Search is how RevenueBase decides which companies belong on this list and how strongly each one fits. Its data engine and AI assess a company's LinkedIn profile, information supplied directly by the company, its website and other publicly available information, then relate it to the category the list is about. Each row is rated strong evidence when the company's own description names development economics organizations, partial evidence when it names part of the category, and indirect evidence when the description shown names none of it and the match rests on the rest of the company's profile.

How many development economics organizations are there based in South Africa?

RevenueBase identified 269 development economics organizations headquartered in South Africa as of September 2026, matched on each company's own description of what it does rather than its industry code.

What is the largest company on this list?

Forafrika, headquartered in Johannesburg, tops this list with the largest team on record.

Which city has the most development economics organizations?

Johannesburg leads with 68 headquartered companies, followed by Cape Town (53) and Pretoria (36).

How do I get contact information for these companies?

A free RevenueBase account lets you run this exact search and work the top results, verified emails and direct dials included. Upgrading unlocks all 2,287 verified decision-maker contacts tracked across these 269 companies.

How current is this list?

The list refreshes periodically as the company graph is re-checked. This page's figures were pulled on September 19, 2026.

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About this data

RevenueBase is a B2B data infrastructure company. Its company graph covers 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts, with emails verified on a rolling cadence rather than scraped once and left to decay. These company lists are generated directly from that graph with RevenueBase Smart Search, the same natural-language company search every RevenueBase user has: describe a market in plain words, get the companies that match, and add verified emails and direct dials for the people at them. It is the same data that powers RevenueBase's B2B data products, and a free account includes 500 credits to start. How these lists are built and judged.