A Look at Tech Careers in Africa

The continent of Africa is one of the most diverse and culturally rich places in the world. Although it has a population of over 1.3 billion, there are more than 50 countries in Africa, each with its own culture and language. Technology is reshaping the continent, connecting communities across borders, and changing how Africans work. 

The Emerging Tech Scene in Africa

The emerging tech scene in Africa is growing rapidly, with behemoths like Microsoft and Google and start-ups and entrepreneurs alike exploring ways to connect millions of Africans with technology. Africa's adoption of mobile tech has been transformative, bringing with it opportunity, education, culture, and a new way of life for the people.

Africa's emerging tech scene is especially fertile with opportunities for entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to market. For example, a frustrated mom from South Africa successfully built SweepSouth, Africa's first Internet-based end-to-end platform for booking, managing, and paying for home cleaning services. 

According to the "eConomy 2020" report, in 2019, investment interest in Africa’s digital startups boomed, resulting in more than $2 billion in equity funding followed by another $350 million in early 2020. 

The report notes that tech talent in Africa is at a peak with almost 700,000 professional developers across the continent, and it is continuing to rise. Currently, only about 1 in 5 are women, but opportunities for female coders are beginning to appear in some of these markets.

In Demand IT Careers

In general, there is a growing demand for IT professionals in Africa. As Africa grows and develops, it requires infrastructure like banking systems and financial services, telecommunications, electrical systems, building and construction, transportation and logistics, water and sewage, and more. It’s not possible for all of these systems to be developed and maintained effectively without tech professionals.

Some of the most sought after career paths include the following:

• Software engineers, developers, and programmers have some of the highest-earning potential in Africa. 

• Systems administrators will find plenty of jobs in this sector as well. 

• Software applications engineers develop software or customize existing software to meet specific needs.

• Database engineers are also becoming more valuable and widely sought after in the African tech industry.

• Network engineers are essential to building out networks, implementing new protocols and drives for efficiency. These careers require a combination of hardware and software skills along with an understanding of networking protocols.

• Database administrators are needed to maintain backend database systems and ensure the smooth operation of programs that run on these platforms. 

• Computer systems analysts perform many technical functions in a project or organization, including collecting requirements, executing tests, providing support, and monitoring and analyzing systems performance.

• Network and computer systems administrators set up, manage, and maintain network and computer systems.

• Project managers ensure that a project is completed on time and within budget. They may have experience with IT projects or other types of projects.

• Help desk technicians provide customer support to users who need help using technology products or services. They can troubleshoot problems for users, log calls, and resolve issues. 

• Software testers evaluate the quality of software by testing it to see if it meets quality standards.

• Computer network support specialists handle everything from installing or repairing hardware to monitoring and maintaining security protocols.

• Computer and information systems managers are the higher-ups who oversee large teams of tech professionals to ensure they’re doing their jobs well. They set goals for technology staff, delegate tasks, monitor budgets, analyze data, and more.

• Web developers design websites that are easy to find and easy to use, whether they’re intended for the general public or a specific group. They create the site map, design graphics, write code, and program scripts. Sometimes coders will specialize in certain aspects of coding such as HTML5 or PHP.

• Web designers develop websites that look good and are easy to navigate. They generate ideas for websites and draw mockups of what they’d like the site to look like. Then they prepare the website content for development and oversee the process.

• Digital media specialists have the skills needed to create and manage content for digital applications. They design websites and mobile apps, create graphics for social media sites, and more.

• Computer programmers write code that helps computers perform specific tasks. It’s a very specialized field with many different programming languages. Some of the most common ones include C++, Java, PHP, SQLite3/MySQL, JavaScript, HTML5, and ActionScript.

• Cloud platform engineers build and maintain cloud platforms for storing and accessing data.

• Audio engineers work with software to create the right sound quality, mix of instruments or vocals, and overall volume for music or other sound recordings. They may also perform live audio mixing at concerts or other events.

• Interactive designers design multimedia products that may include websites, mobile apps, games, or other types of digital interactives. They bring together interaction designers, visual designers, copywriters, and developers to create the right user interface, graphics, and content.

• Mobile app developers design apps that run on smartphones or tablets. Game developers design video games that can be played on computers, consoles, or mobile devices.

• Information security analysts protect computer systems by studying their vulnerabilities and figuring out how to mitigate those risks. They also monitor security systems.

How to Get Involved in Africa's Technology Revolution 

Here at NumberTrend, we constantly ask ourselves, "What are some ways that we can make a difference right now to help shape this future together and support young entrepreneurs and innovators from all over Africa?" 

We have decided to focus on this question and look for opportunities to support and empower upcoming technology entrepreneurs by enabling them to start or grow their ideas into sustainable success through IT technical training, job fairs, mentorships, events, grants, internships, and a robust job search engine. 

Start Your Job Search at NumberTrend

NumberTrend's job search engine features IT jobs from all over Africa and is a great place to start your job search. Employers include Microsoft, Google, Deloitte, Oracle, Vodacom, Ecodit, Ericsson, FrancordSoft, GE Healthcare, and more.

Due to the growing demand for talented developers, designers, Q/A testers, project managers, and many other IT professionals, we will continue to add more and more jobs in the tech sector every month. 

We hope you like what we have done, and are open to suggestions on how we can make it better. If you think there is something else that would be useful to job seekers, let us know! Visit our website http://www.NumberTrend.com.