Africa’s Ensuing Tech Boom Pulls Local Talent Into Sharper Focus

With north of USD 1.7 B worth of venture capital raised before the close of Q1 2022, African tech startups have effectively turned the once-admired funding figures of 2019 [USD 1.3 B] into nothing more than a traditional drop in the bucket. At the current pace, the local tech scene is on track to outdo last year’s performance, which stood at USD 4.08 B. 

As the amount of early-stage companies formed and venture capital raised steadily multiplies, so too will the demand for tech talent—as well as human resources (HR). Barring the erection of more digital infrastructures or deployment of innovative products, a huge chunk of the incoming investments will be spent on employing people; ergo, an escalation of the need for tech talent. 

Per a 2021 report by Google and Accenture, there are more than 700,000 software developers in Africa, a 3.8 percent rise compared to the number recorded in 2020. The survey, after interacting with 1,600 devs, discovered 50 percent of these developers—concentrated in 5 jurisdictions: Nigeria, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa—are hired by startups. What is more interesting, 38 percent of the African software developer demography work for [at least] one company based outside the continent.