African cities set to become top tech hubs

Beyond the economic incentives, cities booming with startups have a significant influence on society. They encourage digital literacy and inclusion, therefore bridging the digital divide that frequently occurs in underdeveloped countries. Community-driven programs, such as coding boot camps and tech seminars, enable people from many backgrounds to engage in the digital economy.

Furthermore, digital hubs may promote social change by encouraging solutions to critical societal concerns. Health tech businesses, for example, are pioneering novel approaches to improving healthcare delivery in rural and disadvantaged communities. Edtech businesses are transforming education by making learning available to students in remote areas via digital platforms.

Innovation and entrepreneurship thrive within tech hubs. They provide a favorable climate for Startups to succeed by providing resources such as funds, tutoring, and networking opportunities. Incubators and accelerators, which are commonly located in tech hubs, play an important role in developing early-stage firms and assisting them to expand and prosper.

While these hubs are not as many in Africa compared to some other regions, there is no denying that there has been a rapid increase in the amount tech hubs emerging from the continent.

The report also lists some of the world’s emerging tech centers which it refers to as “Contender Ecosystems.”

These contender ecosystems are countries with strong seed ecosystems that fell short of making the top 100 this year but have surpassed a rating threshold that enables Startup Blink to identify them as strong candidates for inclusion in the rankings the next year.

The report also showcases cities that are included in the top 1279 cities worldwide.

“Victoria (Seychelles), ranked 219th globally, stands alone as the top ecosystem in the top cities 300 from an unranked nation. It is followed by Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Tehran (Iran) at 328th and 393rd, respectively, as the only other 2 cities in the top 400 of unranked countries, both registering impressive momentum compared to 2023,” the report reads.

“7 cities from unranked countries appear in the top 600: Leading the way are Kathmandu (482nd), Luanda (485th), Dar es Salaam (536th), and Tashkent (493rd), followed by Algiers (502nd), Yangon (505th), and Caracas (536thth),” it adds.

With that said here is the list of African countries considered contender ecosystems.