The GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator program has mapped Nigeria as the most advanced technology ecosystem in Africa. This ranking was based on the Briter Bridges and the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Program’s collaborative effort to identify the active tech hubs in Africa. A total of 618 active hubs were identified, amongst which 85 were based in Nigeria.
This research showed a 40% increase higher than the number of hubs recorded in Africa in 2018. It was recorded that active tech hubs are the mainstay of Africa’s Technology Ecosystem. In the list containing the top 15 tech cities in Africa, Lagos Nigeria came out tops of Tier 1 with about 20-40 hubs while Abuja Nigeria made the Tier 2 list with over 15 hubs.
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Tier 1: 20 to 40 hubs each – Lagos, Cairo, Cape Town, Nairobi, and Johannesburg.
Tier 2: 15+ hubs each – Casablanca, Accra, Abidjan, Tunis, and Abuja.
Tier 3: 10+ hubs each – Dakar, Bamako, Kampala, Dar Es Salaam, and Lomé.
Most of the active tech hubs in Africa are supported by investors and corporate partners. The research, however, revealed that over 150 hubs shut down operations from 2016, thereby creating the need for a sustainable foundation for the hub.
Africa’s tech ecosystem is really thriving, this is evident in the number of foreign investments the sector has received from global brands. Investors like; Y Combinator, Founders Factory, and Startup Bootcamp have established roots on the continent.
Tech companies like Google and Microsoft also support the ecosystem by establishing centres like the Google Launchpad Accelerator in Lagos and the Microsoft Development Centres in Nairobi and Lagos.
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