The number of professional developers in Nigeria increased by six per cent to hit 84,000 in 2021 as the total number of professional developers across the African continent grew by 3.8 per cent to hit 716,000 within the same time period, according to Google.
The firm disclosed this in a report titled, ‘Africa Developer Ecosystem 2021.’ It said, “The pool of professional developers increased by 3.8 per cent to account for 0.4 per cent of the continent’s non-agricultural workforce.
“Average software developer salaries and compensation increased, and more developers secured full-time jobs. African developers are, on average, younger than in more mature markets. They work primarily in Android and web app development.”
According to Google, African startups, which are responsible for hiring more than half of local developers, raised more than $4bn in 2021 — 2.5 times more than they raised in 2020.
It added that 22 per cent of sub-Saharan small and medium businesses started or increased their use of the Internet, increasing the need for web development services.
It said higher demand for remote development work also led to increased opportunities with 38 per cent of African developers working for at least one company based outside of the continent.
The company said, “Three main factors across the tech ecosystem contributed to this positive trend: Local startups, which hire over half of African developers, raised over $4bn in 2021, 2.5x times more than in 2020.
“Increased global demand for remote tech talent, which was accelerated by the pandemic, created more remote employment opportunities for African developers. Finally, local businesses increased their use of the internet and hired developers to help them grow their businesses online.
“More African developers are getting full-time jobs due to both the rise in demand from local startups, and the global demand for remote technical talent. Nigeria’s professional developer population had the largest magnitude growth of any African country during this time, with an estimated 5,000 new professional software developers in 2021.
“Our research also found that women developers, learners, and junior developers would benefit from better infrastructure and more educational opportunities. To continue growth, technology companies, educators and governments are tackling local challenges through innovative partnerships and programmes.”
– Punch