African Software Developers in High Demand Globally

Demand skyrocketed in 2021, Google report reveals.

The demand for African computer software developers skyrocketed in 2021 due to the global economic crisis, and of course, Covid 19 also played a role, a new Google report reveals. In the Africa Developer Ecosystem report, data was gathered from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.

In an interview with 1,600 software developers, Google discovered that 38% of African developers work for at least one company based outside of the continent. According to the survey, across the continent, the pool of professional developers increased by 3.8% year on year. The total number of developers in Africa is now 716,000,” the survey discloses.

A 22% rise in the use of the internet by small and medium-sized businesses in Africa, a record fundraising streak by local startups in 2021, and demand for remote tech workers in more mature markets are all factors attributed to the rising awareness of Africa’s software development talent.

The report shows the number of African professional developers in the workforce defied economic contractions to increase by 3.8% or, 716,000 making up 0.4% of the continent’s non-agricultural workforce. Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt lead the continent in software development talent Nigeria led the continent in roiling out talent in this field, adding an estimated 5,000 new professional developers to its pool in 2021.