Africa’s Image in Software Development
Digitalisation is a global trend that has benefited developing countries in many ways. The reality is that talented software developers and IT professionals are not concentrated in just one place but all over the world. Asian countries like India began proving themselves as powerhouses in software development and became one of the dominating software development outsourcing. The cross-cutting transformational power of technology has had an impact on Africa as well. In recent years, Africa has become an exciting destination for digital technology and innovation. Although Africa has had a slow start to digitalisation, the continent is becoming recognized as a go-to place to launch innovative digital solutions and source software development. While the landscape varies across different countries and regions in Africa, there’s potential all across the board. The driving force of the African software revolution is the development of talent in the content. Developments that have contributed to this growing status the growth of tech hubs and favourable business and innovation environments across the continent.
Overview of Africa’s developer scene
Africa’s talent pool is enormous, and there is massive untapped potential. As of 2020, there are roughly seven hundred thousand African software developers. 21% of developers in Africa are women. While the number of developers is still low compared to the other parts of the globe, the African digital economy is in its booming stage. In the coming years, the digital economy in Africa is expected to continue to grow, and as such, so will the skills that will be needed to undertake this growth.
The presence of tech giants such as on the continent is also an indicator of the continent’s software development talents are being sought after for a number of different factors, key among them is the skill that African developers possess. Many coders graduate from colleges, but many are self-taught or learn on the job and know the most popular software languages. Programs have been springing up across the continent to train professional developers and in addition helping to match this talent with global and local organisations has been important to software development initiatives.
What has contributed to this growth
One of the contributors to increased interest in software development in different parts of Africa has been the growth of tech hubs and startup accelerators. In 2020, there were an estimated 600 hubs on the continent. Hubs and accelerators have contributed to dynamic fast-paced tech and innovation systems in major cities across the continent. These hubs create a lively community around digital products and encourage investment in tech drove growth on the continent. This technology ecosystem in Africa has also led to the rise of digital startups on the continent, which has led to an increased demand for software development.
Some hubs offer the community and even skills to aspiring software developers. As a result of these tech hubs popping, there is a concentration of developer communities in Africa that are excellent sources of talent. Powerhouse countries include Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt where more than 50% of software developers are located.
Why do business in Africa
Doing business in Africa has become increasingly more accessible. Large companies packing up and moving to address many digital opportunities on the continent. Coupled with the ease of doing business, African countries are becoming more innovation-friendly. The innovation index serves as a metric for how good the conditions are for tech businesses to thrive. For example, a country like Rwanda, which ranks highly on the business index countries and does modestly on the innovation index as a result of government policy around innovation has been gaining recognition in the media as a destination for innovation and software.
While Africa is a great place to set up a software business, the great opportunity still lies in remote outsourcing. The rise of remote jobs in technology has had a great impact on the ability to source African talent. Africa is exporting development talent globally from Africa through remote work opportunities, allowing the developers to earn while living in their home country Africa. Many years ago, wealthier nations would not have known that they can tap into African talent that is on par with talent from other parts of the globe, but today there’s a clear demand and hype around African talent.
Pros and Cons of the African Software
Pros
An obvious reason is why one should consider that software developers in Africa are highly skilled and well trained. Most software engineers get training in universities, and a similar number of people are taught on the job. Sourcing from African based companies also gives employment opportunities through software development. When outsourcing to an African based software company you are still guaranteed a selective qualification process of selecting the best candidate who will deliver results to companies.
Cons
Undoubtedly there are challenges that exist in the African software space. These challenges in the software market include the disproportionate senior developers as most are recently trained with between 1-3 years of experience. There is a need for greater investment in African talent and to create more opportunities for experience. However, as an industry that is gaining momentum, it has been forecast that the status of African software development talent will continue to rise and as demand from across the globe continues so will the skills talent on the continent.
What does the future hold?
As the internet economy continues to grow and demand for IT specialists on moderate salaries rises so will the opportunities for Africans. Africa presents vast-ranging opportunities for technology and innovative software solutions. In recent years, Africa has proven that it is not on the sideline of the sweeping changes in technology but defining its own path in the digital world. What we have seen so far is a foundation for the ongoing digital transformation and there is more to come. African talent is not only sought after but there are many advantages to choosing African talent for software development.