Baby steps have been taken towards greater gender diversity within the African tech startup ecosystem, but much more needs to be done if anything close to parity is to be achieved, according to a new report released by Disrupt Africa. Since launching its research arm in 2016, Disrupt Africa has built up a significant portfolio of publications, most notably the African Tech Startups Funding Report, Finnovating for Africa, and deep-dives into various leading startup ecosystems, available free for all via open-sourcing initiatives with various partners across the continent’s tech ecosystem. Its latest report, the company’s 24th in total, is the second edition of “Diversity Dividend: Exploring Gender Equality in the African Tech Ecosystem”, Disrupt Africa’s annual deep-dive into the state of gender diversity in the African startup and venture capital ecosystems. Of 2,600 African tech startups studied for the purposes of the publication, just 17.3 per cent had at least one female co-founder, and 11.1 per cent had a female CEO. The percentage of total African tech funding raised by ventures with at least one female co-founder increased to 16.6 per cent in 2023 from 9.3 per cent in 2022.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 30, 2024 05:23 UTC