6 startups bridging the tech talent gap in Africa

When founders raise money for their startups, the funding usually goes towards hiring top talent, building new products, or strengthening existing ones. Last year, startups in Africa raised about $5 billion in venture capital funding to provide innovative solutions to complex challenges like access to finance, education, and healthcare in Africa.

However, despite raising impressive rounds of funding, many startups complain of not finding quality software developers or tech talents.  According to a 2020 Ernst and Young report, the quality and volume of talent in Nigeria are limited and insufficient. The report disclosed that attracting and retaining quality talent in data analytics, cybersecurity, and software engineering remains one of the biggest challenges faced by fintech startups in Nigeria.

A joint report by Google and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 2020 disclosed that there are only 700,000 professional developers in Africa. Half of this number is concentrated in the Big 4 countries – Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa. It’s no surprise as these countries also account for a huge chunk of the startup funding that comes into Africa.

The biggest challenge most startup ventures will face in Africa in coming months and years is talent. Many are feeling the pains already.

A significant purpose of formal education is to create a workforce. When education is of low quality, the workforce is also low quality.

— Osaretin Victor Asemota (@asemota) May 10, 2021

The IFC report reinforces the need to grow more tech talent to strengthen the ecosystem and provide gainful employment for Africa’s teeming youth population. In this piece, we spotlight 6 African edtech startups working to teach Africans in-demand tech skills and bridge the tech talent gap in Africa.

Semicolon Africa: Founded in 2019 by Sam Immanuel, Semicolon Africa is focused on preparing young people and companies in Africa for the digital economy by providing the requisite technology skills for Africa’s growing tech industry. Based in Yaba, Lagos, the startup offers a one-year intensive training program that focuses on problem-solving, software engineering, and business management skills. After the program, participants are linked with hiring partners or supported to build their products up to the MVP stage if they decide to go the entrepreneurship route.