You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

4 Reasons Africa Is the Rising Star of the Tech World With expanding Internet access, dedicated tech hubs and a young, fast-growing population, Africa is poised for growth.

By Jeremy Johnson

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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.

Related: Bright Idea: Startup Finds Unexpected Use for Solar-Powered Lights

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.

Related: The 'White African' and Nairobi's Tech Hub

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.

Related: How Social Franchising Is Bringing Jobs to the Developing World

Jeremy Johnson

Founder and CEO, Andela; Co-Founder, 2U

Jeremy Johnson is the founder and CEO of Andela, a global talent accelerator that produces developers and connects them with top employers. He is also the co-founder and former chief strategy officer of 2U, which partners with leading colleges and universities to deliver online degree programs so students everywhere can reach their full potential.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Multibillion-Dollar Crypto Fraud

Southern District of New York Judge Lewis Kaplan said that the loss amount to the victims of Bankman-Fried's crimes surpassed $550 million.

Side Hustle

This Mom Started a Side Hustle After a 'Shocking' Realization in the Toy Aisle. Her Product Was in Macy's Within the Year — Seeing Nearly $350,000 in Sales.

Elenor Mak, now founder of Jilly Bing, didn't plan to start a business — but the search for a doll that looked like her daughter inspired her to do just that.

Growing a Business

To Achieve Sustainable Success, You Need to Stop Focusing on Disruption. Here's Why — and What You Must Focus on Instead.

Instead of zeroing in solely on disruptive innovation, embrace a pragmatic approach to innovation, recognizing and leveraging the potential within ongoing industry shifts.

Marketing

5 Ways to Get on the Media's Good Side (and Stay There)

When you're trying to make a name and a mark for yourself and your business, it's really important to get on the media's good side — and stay there.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Told Meta Engineers to 'Figure Out' Snapchat's Privacy Protections: 'We Have No Analytics on Them'

Recently unsealed court documents detail "Project Ghostbusters," Meta's project to work around Snapchat's end-to-end encryption to intercept data.