Nairobi Leads: Discover Sub-Saharan Africa’s Top Startup Ecosystems

The Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024 includes a list of the top ecosystems by region. The criteria for inclusion in the list are that the ecosystem either needs to be ranked in the Top 40 Global Leaders or Top 200 Emerging Ecosystems or have an Ecosystem Value greater than $200 million.

Sub-Saharan Africa ecosystems have shown impressive growth in the GSER 2024. Insights include:

• The top five ranking Sub-Saharan African ecosystems are Nairobi, Lagos, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Accra.

• Nairobi is the #1 Sub-Saharan African Ecosystem in Performance, measuring the size and performance of an ecosystem based on the accumulated tech startup value created from exits and funding.

• Lagos ranks as the #1 Sub-Saharan African Ecosystem in Funding, measuring innovation through early-stage funding and investors’ activity.

• Cape Town remained in the 91-100 range in the Emerging Ecosystems range, but was ranked #1 Sub-Saharan African Ecosystem in Talent & Experience, measuring long-term trends over the most significant performance factors.

• Johannesburg is the #1 Sub-Saharan African Ecosystem in Knowledge, measuring innovation through research and patent activity.

Addis Ababa - #4 Global Ecosystem in Affordable Talent

“The Ministry of Innovation and Technology envisions Ethiopia’s startup ecosystem reaching the fourth stage of its lifecycle while prioritizing its actions to activate and globalize the startup ecosystem lifecycle,” says Mr. Selamyihun Adefris, Innovation Development Lead CEO, Ministry of Innovation and Technology.

For more insights, explore our sub-Saharan Africa ecosystem pages:

• Accra

• Addis Ababa

• Johannesburg

• Lagos

• Nairobi

To learn more about ecosystem performance around the world, read the full, free Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024.