Women Are Rewriting Africa’s Tech Story, And the Data Proves It

The narrative around African technology has long centered on male founders, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs. But a fundamental shift is underway across the continent, driven by women who are building companies, leading engineering teams, and reshaping how technology addresses African challenges.

This transformation extends beyond representation. Women-led startups in Africa are demonstrating stronger fundamentals, attracting capital at growing rates, and building solutions directly addressing gaps in healthcare, education, and financial inclusion that have historically affected women most acutely.

The Numbers Tell a Different Story Than Five Years Ago

African women founders raised approximately $700 million in venture funding between 2020 and 2024, according to data compiled by Briter Bridges and Disrupt Africa. While this represents only 3-4% of total funding raised by African startups during that period, the trajectory matters more than the absolute figure.

Women-led startups in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are closing funding rounds at sizes that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. MFS Africa’s acquisition of Baxi, a Nigerian fintech co-founded by Degbola Abudu, valued the company at over $30 million. Kenyan healthtech startup Ilara Health, co-founded by Emilian Popa and Sameer Afzal but led by a predominantly female management team, has equipped over 6,000 health facilities across East Africa.

The pattern extends across sectors. Ejara, a Cameroonian fintech focused on crypto savings and investment, raised $2 million in seed funding in 2022. South African e-commerce platform Yoco, where women hold key leadership positions, has processed over $10 billion in payments for small businesses.

What Changed: Infrastructure, Networks, and Intentional Capital

Three factors converge to explain this acceleration. First, improved digital infrastructure across Africa has lowered barriers to entry. Cloud computing, mobile money integration, and API-driven services mean founders no longer need massive upfront capital to launch tech products.

Second, deliberate network-building has created support systems that previously didn’t exist. Organizations like SheLeadsTech, Africa Women in Tech, and She Leads Africa have built communities that connect women founders with mentors, investors, and technical expertise. Lagos-based SheCodeAfrica now operates chapters in 15 African countries, teaching coding skills to over 10,000 women.

Third, investment structures specifically targeting women founders have materialized. Enygma Ventures, FirstCheck Africa, and the She Invests program at GreenHouse Capital allocate capital with explicit mandates to back women-led companies. These funds recognize what data increasingly shows: women founders often generate stronger returns per dollar invested, partly because they build with greater capital efficiency.

Beyond Lagos and Nairobi: Regional Momentum

While Nigeria and Kenya dominate African tech headlines, women founders in smaller ecosystems are building substantial businesses. Rwanda’s government has implemented policies requiring 30% women representation on corporate boards, creating pathways for women technologists into decision-making roles.

Ghana’s Anku, founded by Nana Bema, connects local artisans directly to global markets through e-commerce. In Egypt, Halan, though founded by a male entrepreneur, has built a predominantly female driver fleet for its ride-hailing and logistics services, employing over 3,000 women in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

The pattern suggests that as more African countries develop startup ecosystems, women founders are capturing market share from the outset rather than playing catch-up years later.

The Policy and Cultural Context That Matters

African governments have implemented varying degrees of support for women in technology. Nigeria’s National Policy on Women mandates equal access to economic resources, though implementation remains inconsistent. Kenya’s 2010 constitution includes provisions for gender equality in economic participation, creating legal frameworks that women entrepreneurs invoke when facing discrimination.

Cultural barriers persist. Access to early-stage capital remains harder for women, particularly in regions where family structures expect women to prioritize domestic responsibilities. Women founders consistently report difficulty raising pre-seed funding from angel investors, who remain overwhelmingly male across African markets.

Yet the existence of successful women-led companies creates demonstration effects. When Naspers acquired a stake in Egypt’s Fawry, where women held key technical leadership roles, it signaled to investors and founders alike that women-built companies could achieve scale and exit opportunities.

What This Means for African Tech Development

The rise of women in African technology matters because diverse founding teams build products that serve broader markets. Healthcare, education, and social commerce—sectors where African startups have achieved genuine product-market fit—all benefit from perspectives that account for how women interact with technology differently.

Women represent the majority of small-scale traders across African markets, the primary users of mobile money services, and the key decision-makers in household health and education spending. Technology built without their input misses massive commercial opportunities.

The question isn’t whether women will continue gaining ground in African tech. Market forces and demographic realities make that inevitable. The question is whether institutions such as investors, accelerators, universities, and governments will accelerate or obstruct that progression through their capital allocation and policy decisions.

For now, the momentum belongs to founders who understand that African technology will reflect African realities only when the people building it represent the continent’s full population.