Female Tech Businesses in Africa (FEBA) 2019

The assessment report analyses the status of female tech businesses in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa according to the SFI methodology which analyses 80 key indicators within the six domains representing core elements of a startup ecosystem. The six domains are Human Capital, access to Finance, the liveliness of the Startup Scene, Infrastructure, Macro framework, and Market conditions.

The assessment report was produced as part of the Female Tech Businesses in Africa (FEBA) programme in 2019.

Female Tech Businesses in Africa (FEBA) fosters capacity-building, network development, and the internationalisation of women networks, multipliers, and stakeholders in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. In 2019, nine out of 700+ female leaders across the three countries were selected for mentoring and financial support of up to 15.000 Euros for four months.

Summary Ghana

Despite the lagging overall economic performance, Ghana is witnessing a rapid development of the startup scene in Accra, prioritised by the Ghanaian government through the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP), which aims at institutionalising resources such as incubators and accelerators, and promoting startups in general. Ghana boasts high levels of female participation and favourable labour market regulations, though there is a need to up-skill the labour force for modern professions.

Summary Kenya

Kenya boasts a growing startup ecosystem with a promising future, particularly in the capital Nairobi, given its flexible labour regulations, and an already high level of female participation in entrepreneurship. The ecosystem is already showing strong growth signals in terms of the growing number of startups -including high-equity success cases, and available institutionalised resources such as co-working spaces, and a high numbers of VCs and Business Angels.

Summary South Africa

South Africa boasts the strongest and most stable and globalised economy out of the three countries under study; with the highest GDP and advanced market infrastructure. Moreover, it has made significant progress in creating a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem foundation and providing the institutional support needed to promote innovative and high-growth enterprises, positioning itself as an entrepreneurial leader of Sub-Saharan Africa.

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