Next Wave: How to plan for Africa’s next technology decade
Summary
This piece argues that Africa’s technology story so far has been driven largely by entrepreneurial opportunism and global hype cycles. The author calls for a shift towards Strategic Direction — coherent, multi-layered planning across local, regional and continental levels — to make the next decade more resilient, productive and impact-oriented.
The article reviews the last two decades of growth, highlights the recent shift from hype to consolidation (M&A, strategic partnerships, local expansions), and emphasises the need for diverse financing options and local nuance. Practical examples include local currency financing pilots in Rwanda and a broader trend toward consolidation and strategic activity across the ecosystem. The author closes with a call to convene leaders to plan the next ten years with people and the planet at the centre.
Content summary
• The first ~25 years of African tech were propelled by opportunism and global hype, producing roughly $15–$20bn of investment since 2014 and strong growth versus earlier years.
• Recent years show maturation: more mergers & acquisitions, strategic partnerships and startup expansions, indicating a move from ‘shiny play rocks’ to practical tools.
• Finance is diversifying — innovative financing is welcome, but it must be strategically coherent; local capital and local-currency solutions matter for market resilience.
• Small, pragmatic wins matter: a pilot that channelled >$3m in local currency financing to Rwandan startups shows how local partnerships unlock financing where big global funds can’t.
• The author urges a planning process — convening leaders to create a Strategic Direction across different layers (local, regional, continental) to guide the next 3,652 days (ten years).
Key Points
- Africa’s tech growth to date has been significant but often opportunistic; it needs strategic coherence to scale sustainably.
- Recent ecosystem signals (29 M&A deals, 20 expansions, 34 strategic partnerships H1 2025) point to consolidation and maturity.
- Innovative financing should be expanded, but must be used carefully — diversity of instruments, including local-currency financing, is crucial.
- Local and regional nuance unlocks value: small, targeted pilots can demonstrate scalable approaches for under-served markets.
- Goals should be clear: more capital is not the endgame — impact, productivity and capital efficiency per dollar invested are the measures that matter.
- Strategic Direction means shared goals and marked roles across stakeholders, not uniformity of activity.
- Leadership convenings and planning (eg. Norrsken initiatives, Moonshot) are proposed to craft the next decade intentionally and coherently.
Context and relevance
The article is timely: after years of boom-and-bust cycles and global hype-driven investment, African tech is entering a phase where strategic choices will determine whether gains become durable. For founders, investors and policymakers this matters because the next wave will reward those who combine capital with local knowledge, coherent strategy and diversified financing. It ties into ongoing trends: consolidation, regional capital mobilisation, and the push for financing instruments suited to African markets (local currency debt, strategic partnerships, M&A exits).
Why should I read this?
Short answer: if you care about Africa’s tech future, this piece saves you time and points at what actually matters. It’s not another hype note — it’s a practical nudge to stop chasing headlines and start planning properly. Read it to get a clear sense of where to put energy and money if you want returns that last (and do some good while you’re at it).
Author style
Punchy — the author pushes hard for strategic clarity and frames the topic as urgent: this is a rallying call to build a decade intentionally rather than drift from one trend to the next. If you’re involved in shaping policy, funding or building startups, the detail matters — it’s not just commentary, it’s a prompt to act.
Source
Source: https://techcabal.com/2025/09/16/next-wave-how-to-plan-for-africas-next-technology-decade/
