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The technological environment in Africa has seen phenomenal expansion during the past few years.
Fremont, CA: The numerous accomplishments of 2021 and the plethora of rapidly expanding technology businesses across the continent inspire optimism for future marvels. Last year, the capital investments reached all-time highs, resulting in an exponential growth of the African tech ecosystem. This rapid technological growth is driven by Africa's young, technologically literate population.
Trends in the African tech space:
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Unknown tech talent resources in Africa
Even though African entrepreneurs have created technologically-enabled solutions to development concerns, global tech titans often neglect African expertise. Increased worldwide startup space has increased the demand for young, talented professionals. Africa is becoming an important source of software engineering talent and has the fastest-growing developer population. Microsoft, for its part, wants to construct its first development facilities in Africa in 2022 and will employ 100 African employees full-time by 2023.
The demand for a pipeline of software engineers resulted in the expansion of talent accelerators around the continent. These accelerators aim to establish new job paths in technology in Africa. Andela, Decagon, AltSchool, and Univelcity are some examples of accelerators. The ambitious ambition of one of them, Decagon, is to produce 10,000 software engineers in 6-month batches. Such programs can transform Africa into a pool of global technological talent.
More women are entering the tech space
According to UNESCO, 30 percent of professionals in Africa's technology sector are female. This is higher than the worldwide average of 28 percent. This expansion is the result of coordinated efforts to engage women and girls in technology and STEM sectors on the continent. Numerous projects equip women and girls with the skills and opportunities necessary to diminish the gender gap. Historically, female-led startups have raised significantly less capital than their male rivals. A deep dive into the investment data reveals that female CEOs raised approximately 7 percent of tech investments in Africa in 2021. 2019 and 2020 showed substantially lower growth rates of 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
Despite the fact that women-led businesses achieved gains in 2021, there remains an opportunity for expansion. The launch of FirstCheck Africa, an angel fund for women-founded and co-founded technology startups, augurs well the empowerment of women in technology.
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