4 Reasons Africa Is theRising Star of the TechWorld

With the world’s youngest, fastest
growing population, Africa is also the
world’s largest source of untapped talent.

But that talent pool is starting to be
tapped as tech employers, large and
small, turn their attention to the
continent’s potential.

There are many economic, cultural,
political and technological differences
across Africa, but the continent is home
to one of the world’s 10 fastest growing
economies and holds extraordinary
promise as an incubator of the next
generation of tech talent.

Move over, Eastern Europe and India.
Here are four reasons why hiring
managers should look to Africa as a
source for top tech talent:

1. "Demography is destiny."

As the French philosopher and
sociologist Auguste Comte once said,
"demography is destiny." Today, Africa
has the youngest population in the
world, a trend that’s expected to become
even more pronounced over the coming
decades. By 2040, half of the world’s
young people will live in Africa. Simply
put, anyone looking to find the next
generation of the digital workforce should
start focusing on Africa.

2. "The lions are going digital."

Technology use is expected to increase
rapidly across the continent in the coming
years, concludes a 2013 report from
McKinsey & Company . In 2013, 67 million
people in Africa used smartphones and
16 percent of the population was online.

By 2025, the report projected, Internet
penetration will reach 50 percent. That’s
600 million Internet users using 360
million smartphones. As the continent
comes online, employers can
increasingly access workers wherever
there is an Internet connection.

3. The rise of "Savannah Valley."

As Africa goes digital, we are witnessing
the emergence of entrepreneurial hubs
across the continent. Tech hubs such as
Co-Creation Hub in Lagos, Nigeria, and
iHub in Nairobi, Kenya, are springing up
to foster budding tech communities.
The emergence of these tech hubs also
reflects increasing interest from the
venture community. In the fourth quarter
of 2014, African startups raised an
unprecedented $200 million in venture
money, data from CrunchBase showed,
with South Africa leading the way,
followed by Nigeria, Kenya and
Egypt. These hubs are fueling the rise of
digitally-savvy young people who are
every bit as talented and hungry as
workers anyplace else.

4. An easier way to do business
overseas.

When employers look for workers
overseas, there are often two barriers that
stand in the way. The first is language.

But while it is often difficult to find tech
workers fluent in English in Eastern
Europe, India or China, English is widely
spoken across Africa.

The second barrier is business
hours. Unlike India, however, cities in
West Africa, like London, are on GMT
(Greenwich Mean Time), which makes
collaboration with U.S. and European
teams much easier.

Together, the four reasons above point
the way to a simple fact: the tech
revolution may have started in Palo Alto,
but its future will be written in Lagos,
Nairobi and the capitals of Africa.