(Articles published by Afrikaheroes and Statista)
Last year, the report published by AfricArena revealed that virtual capital funding that amounts from $2.25 billion to $2.8 billion this year, a record high for Africa.
Africa’s VC investments reached an all-time high in 2019 when 234 tech companies raised $2.02 billion in 250 equity rounds, a 74 percent increase on the $1,163 recorded in 2018.https://www.statista.com/chart/24911/vc-investment-by-country-in-africa/.
Consequently, potential francophone entrepreneurs are turned off by the lack of funding than their anglophone counterparts, as the major financiers in tech are English-speaking investors.
In total, 21 of 54 African countries are officially French-speaking. According to the figures, Africa makes up more than 70% of the world’s total French-speaking population. But how buoyant the startup ecosystem there remains a question. Only about three French-speaking African countries — Rwanda, Senegal, and Morocco.
This lack of funding has therefore led to the dearth of developers and designers in francophone Africa. Most resources for start-ups in Africa (e.g. regional incubators and accelerators, labs, conferences) are mostly in the English-speaking countries.
While startup owners are not to blame for the language they speak, it appears however that language is actually a major barrier for most startups in French-speaking countries. A look at the investment preference of investors and their countries of origin show a majority of investors coming from English-speaking countries, or having the major funds coming from English-speaking countries.
The table below represents the top investment in African startups for the years 2017 and 2018. Consequently, potential francophone entrepreneurs are turned off by lack of funding than their anglophone cousins, as the major financiers in tech are English-speaking investors.
This lack of funding has therefore led to the dearth of developers and designers in francophone Africa. Most resources for startups in Africa(e.g. regional incubators and accelerators, labs, conferences) are mostly in English-speaking countries.
