IT Talent in Africa: Challenges and Solutions
24 July 2025
Аfrica’s Emerging Tech Workforce: Talent Reserve or Global Challenge?
How key African markets are shaping global IT hiring strategies.
With only ~700,000 software developers across a population of 1.4 billion, Africa is both a growing force in fintech and outsourcing — and a region facing infrastructure gaps, education mismatches, and increasing talent migration.
These issues were the focus of a recent Global CIO panel discussion moderated by Natalia Domashenko, CEO of NGRS Global IT Hiring. As both moderator and author of the analytical market overview, Domashenko facilitated a discussion with IT and HR leaders from AWS, TymeBank, Interswitch, and nCino.
The session addressed the following topics:
- Regional dynamics, growth drivers, and statistical benchmarks;
- Talent segmentation and role distribution across sectors;
- Skills development and university partnerships;
- Retention challenges and local adaptation strategies;
- Cross-regional collaboration models and long-term workforce planning.
Market Overview: The Structure and Dynamics of Africa’s IT Talent Pool
In her opening presentation, Natalia Domashenko offered a structured overview of the African IT labor market, emphasizing both its untapped potential and structural imbalances. The data presented reflected aggregated insights from multiple regions, with a focus on five major economies: Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.
Talent Pool Size and Penetration
- As of 2025, Africa has an estimated 700,000 software developers, accounting for roughly 0.05% of the total population.
- This figure is significantly lower than in Europe or North America, where IT professionals typically represent 2–3% of the workforce.
- The total number of IT professionals is likely higher than the developer count, but remains difficult to quantify due to fragmented data sources.
The top five markets — Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco — each offer unique strengths, from fintech and mobile innovation to BPO and telecom exports. For example, Egypt’s ITO exports reached $6.2B, while Nigeria alone accounts for 15–16% of Africa’s IT talent pool.
Remote Work and Talent Export
Remote work has become one of the strongest accelerators of IT workforce development across Africa. According to Domashenko, nearly 38% of developers on the continent are already working for international employers — often under fully remote or hybrid contracts.
Language continues to play a dual role in this expansion. On the one hand, Africa’s bilingual structure — with around 40–50% of IT professionals fluent in English or French — makes the region naturally compatible with global teams. On the other hand, the language barrier remains a constraint outside of Anglophone markets. In non-English-speaking countries, only 10–30% of tech professionals have strong English proficiency, which limits both their access to global roles and the region’s integration into international project work.