Stop Saying "Africa is Leapfrogging." It Has Already Leapt.
When I present the data on Africa's tech ecosystem to US investors, their reaction is almost always the same: surprise.
They are still thinking about "emerging market risk."
I tell them they are looking at the data all wrong. They are missing the single greatest opportunity of the next 20 years.
Let's look at the facts.
They are still thinking about "emerging market risk."
I tell them they are looking at the data all wrong. They are missing the single greatest opportunity of the next 20 years.
Let's look at the facts.
1. The Largest Digital-Native Talent Pool on Earth
The median age in Africa is ~19. This isn't just a demographic stat; it's a profound economic force. This generation didn't have to learn mobile. They were born into it.
As Google's reports on the African developer ecosystem show, this talent pool is growing faster than anywhere else. They are hungry, brilliant, and are building solutions for their own problems first.
2. Africa is the Global Leader in Mobile Money
The West sees 650M+ smartphones and thinks "new market." They see 85% of transactions via mobile money and are confused.
Let's be clear: Africa skipped the entire desktop banking and credit card era. While the US and Europe are still fumbling with fragmented digital wallets, an entire continent is already living in a mobile-first, peer-to-peer financial world.
This isn't "catching up." This is true leapfrogging.
3. They Are Solving Real Problems (at Scale)
Look where the money is going: 60% of all VC funding in 2024 went to Fintech.
Why? Because African founders aren't building the next "nice-to-have" app. They are building the fundamental infrastructure of a new economy: payments, credit, insurance, and banking.
The same is true for the rapid rise of AgTech ($1.56B raised). This is about food security, supply chains, and crop yield. These are not trivial problems.
When you combine the largest, most agile talent pool with a massive, digitally-native market that is solving its ownfundamental problems, "risk" is the last word that should come to mind.
The word is opportunity.
The biggest challenge for founders is no longer their product. It's translating this massive, on-the-ground reality to global investors.
By Peter Mebert, GITC Founder, CEO Mebert Group
The median age in Africa is ~19. This isn't just a demographic stat; it's a profound economic force. This generation didn't have to learn mobile. They were born into it.
As Google's reports on the African developer ecosystem show, this talent pool is growing faster than anywhere else. They are hungry, brilliant, and are building solutions for their own problems first.
2. Africa is the Global Leader in Mobile Money
The West sees 650M+ smartphones and thinks "new market." They see 85% of transactions via mobile money and are confused.
Let's be clear: Africa skipped the entire desktop banking and credit card era. While the US and Europe are still fumbling with fragmented digital wallets, an entire continent is already living in a mobile-first, peer-to-peer financial world.
This isn't "catching up." This is true leapfrogging.
3. They Are Solving Real Problems (at Scale)
Look where the money is going: 60% of all VC funding in 2024 went to Fintech.
Why? Because African founders aren't building the next "nice-to-have" app. They are building the fundamental infrastructure of a new economy: payments, credit, insurance, and banking.
The same is true for the rapid rise of AgTech ($1.56B raised). This is about food security, supply chains, and crop yield. These are not trivial problems.
When you combine the largest, most agile talent pool with a massive, digitally-native market that is solving its ownfundamental problems, "risk" is the last word that should come to mind.
The word is opportunity.
The biggest challenge for founders is no longer their product. It's translating this massive, on-the-ground reality to global investors.
By Peter Mebert, GITC Founder, CEO Mebert Group