If there is one industry that has continued to exceed expectations in Africa, it is telecommunications.

Today, the continent has more than 500 million mobile phone users. That is almost one in two Africans. It is far beyond what Rwandan-Congolese businessman Miko Rwayitare, creator of the continent’s first mobile network, Telecel International, could have imagined in 1987. At the time, the entrepreneur was only targeting a few thousand of the happy few, and his phones, which could not even send an SMS, were still the size of a brick.

In three decades, operators have gone through global crises relatively untroubled. After the development of 2G networks, then 3G and 4G networks, submarine cables and mobile-mobile payments, the continent has taken a new technological leap – that of the platform economy.

It first appeared in the field of e-commerce, which has been active for a few years now, to be joined by financial services, energy, agriculture, health and education. Even governments have started to use them in the hope of bridging the gap between citizens and administrations.

Alongside MTN, Vodacom, Orange and others, thousands of startups, investors, incubators, fibre-optic network operators, data centres and influencers are enriching the ecosystem. This profusion of players has inspired The Africa Report’s first ranking of the top 40 personalities who make up Digital Africa, with the goal of updating it every year.

To select 40 from this crowded field was an ambitious undertaking.

It includes ­telecom operators with hundreds of millions of subscribers, the heads of specialised investment funds and founders of startups that have become unicorns, but also African representatives of the FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) giants. It also includes some public decision-makers who hold the pursestrings on digital infrastructure.

Innovation, funding, leadership

For our ranking, we used a series of criteria ranging from innovation capacity to financial strength and the size of funds raised, as well as leadership and notoriety, with the main focus on events that occurred during the period 2020 to 2021. This ranking cannot claim to be an objective truth, but it presents our vision of a revolution that we have followed since its beginnings.

We could have immediately placed the top 10 telecom operators, without whom very little would be possible, but we also wanted to highlight the adoption of e-commerce, the explosion of fintechs, particularly in Nigeria, the growing interest in energy-access services, the development of data centres, and the first truly significant projects from the FAANG companies in Africa, particularly in infrastructure.

The role of enlightened regulators and public servants is critical to success or indeed failure. For every Kigali Institute of Technology, there are unlawful crackdowns by Central Banks on blockchain operators.

Finally, we note that women are still in the minority in this ecosystem, and particularly in the top roles. However, they are far from being absent. In addition to the personalities in our ranking, we would like to mention Odunayo Eweniyi, co-founder of the startup Piggyvest, Coura Carine Sene, who runs Wave mobile money in Senegal, Fatoumata Ba, whose fund, Janngo Capital has pledged €60m ($70m) for women-led startups, and Andreata Muforo, partner of the investment company TLcom. We hope to see more women in the elite of the sector in 2022, so watch this space.

Source: https://www.theafricareport.com/146660/africas-digital-top-40/amp/

CC: Mynd44 Lalasticala

9ice.
Nigerians are gifted.
BTW no erection in biafraland

triple996:
9ice.
Nigerians are gifted.
BTW no erection in biafraland

Lol. Another list of the best of the best that is again dominated by Yorubas. Thank God this one is throughout Africa and adjudged independently of Nigeria.

If not our delusional Biafran 'developers' brothers will blame Lagos-Ibadan media reportage for ojoro and their lack of automatic dominance . Looooolllll.

Wonderful!

Dsalvo:


Lol. Another list of the best of the best that is again dominated by Yorubas. Thank God this one is throughout Africa and adjudged independently of Nigeria.

If not our Biafran ', developers' brothers will blame Lagos-Ibadan media reportage for their lack of dominance . Looooolllll.

Every list have shown the Biaflans are empty braggarts that believe in their own imposed fake IPOB statistics to feel at par.

They are empty vessels that make the loudest noise.

They will soon come and scream marginalization and say the African report hate them.

So much great omoluabi's

trutharena:


Every list have shown the Biaflans are empty braggarts that’s believe in their own imposed fake IPOB statistics to feel at par.

They are empty vessels that make the loudest noise.

They will soon come and scream marginalization and say the African report hate them.

Looooollllllll. Abi. They may even say Tinubu personally drove a bulllion van of cash to bribe those who adjudged these names best and most influential in Africa.

When we tell IPOBians they are a joke only big in their rural SE Villages they will curse and insult us.

Now, the information age everyone has access to is making a fool of them and showing them up as complete empty barrels.

temitope27:
So much great omoluabi's

Indeed. We are a humble and modest people. One thing I feel we can improve on is the transfer of knowledge and gap-bridging between the privileged and the needy.

Wealthy and successful Yorubas can do more to get the best out of every Yoruba and indeed Nigerians in general.

Most Nigerian Government schools are abysmal and the gap between the privately well-educated and the scantily educated is making a huge negative difference to where all Nigerians should be to then sustain an elite class who continue to consolidate on generational wealth, societal advantages and general privilege.

Nigerians are trying. We need good leadership to get there.

nisai:
Nigerians are trying. We need good leadership to get there.

Indeed. We must work on educating every Nigerian as optimally as possible. Rwandans, Kenyans, Egyptians, South Africans and many others are routinely better educated than Nigerians these days.

We are now a nation just trying to fix the holes in the ship to keep it afloat rather than trying to build the finest and most comfortable ship to carry Nigerians in.

We could achieve a hell of a lot more with a top notch education sector most especially at the primary and secondary school level.

YORUBAS Dominate Top 40 List of Africa Digital Companies.

Fix the header to this to show the truth.

great

This list does not show regional quota system balance from Nigeria

We Abokis north are absent completely

Oops I forgot government have no control on this

From the comments above, it has become almost impossible not to mention tribe when an article surfaces on Nairaland's politics section.

No doubt,the Yorubas run the tech industry in Nigeria. Nice one, people.

Tech and enterprenuership belongs to yorubas. While petty trading belongs to mpkurumiri youths

Op lets have these thread as well

Africans with highest number of 2by2 shops

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to jail for drug trafficking in Asia

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to death for drug trafficking Asia

Great....in 5yrs time my name would also be at the top of the tech rated table.

princdebola201:
Tech and enterprenuership belongs to yorubas. While petty trading belongs to mpkurumiri youths

Op lets have these thread as well

Africans with highest number of 2by2 shops

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to jail in drug trafficking in Asia

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to death for drug trafficking Asia

racist

Very good

princdebola201:
Tech and enterprenuership belongs to yorubas. While petty trading belongs to mpkurumiri youths

Op lets have these thread as well

Africans with highest number of 2by2 shops

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to jail in drug trafficking in Asia

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to death for drug trafficking Asia

I have written your name down, you would not go to heaven again. Na international air space station straight..

Just one MTN chaired by Igbo or one interswitch chaired by Edo far outstrips all the other mushrooms masquerading as start up

kettykin:
Just one MTN chaired by Igbo or one interswitch chaired by Edo far outstrips all the other mushrooms masquerading as start up

Lol joker. How much is the salary of the MTN chair? Na South Africans get the company, he is a boy boy to them.

I am pretty sure his annual pay is not much than my own annual pay.

You no even get shame Shinedu.

I'm not understanding, MTN is owned by someone from Zimbabwe

Xzellentgraphic:
Great....in 5yrs time my name would also be at the top of the tech rated table.

Amen.

Great yoruba race
May GOD continue to bless yoruba land and destroy those haters

kettykin:
Just one MTN chaired by Igbo or one interswitch chaired by Edo far outstrips all the other mushrooms masquerading as start up

Here comes the agbaya empty chest beaters who can't accept reality. Looolll.

trutharena:


Lol joker. How much is the salary of the MTN chair? Na South Africans get the company, he is a boy boy to them.

I am pretty sure his annual pay is not much than my own annual pay.

You no even get shame Shinedu.

Who lives on salary these days

princdebola201:
Tech and enterprenuership belongs to yorubas. While petty trading belongs to mpkurumiri youths

Op lets have these thread as well

Africans with highest number of 2by2 shops

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to jail for drug trafficking in Asia

Africans with the highest numbers of people sentenced to death for drug trafficking Asia

Loooollll. On a serious note, and in my personal experience, Yorubas are the Brits of Nigeria. Good managers of men and resources plus the most adept at running idea-driven, human resources - dependent and service-led societies.

The Northerners prefer politics and focusing on tangibles plus things the eyes can see, quantify and estimate the value of in cash.

Like control of cash-generating political offices (presidency for example) and parastatals (Customs and immigration for example) with ample opportinities to collect and personally divert funds accruing to the government.

Igbos want the quickest and most direct route to cash and wealth. They therefore thrive at petty and simplistic trading concerning the most rudimentary principle of taking good from a places it can be sourced cheaply to other places they can sell such for profit.

Yorubas have the gamut of skills and outlook that sees then able to do it all and, most importantly, adapt to the inevitable future direction of the world as exemplified by their success in the IT sector.

I.e idea-driven society where intangible and abstract considerations help to facilitate everything from cashless banking to robotics and automation of processes.

I am betting any money a Yoruba will likely be the West African Elon Musk pushing forward the boundaries of automobiles using renewable sources of energy like solar power.

Igbos will then get in at the spare parts/batteries and photovoltaic cells end of the market. They will surely make the most noise though even when they are not at the idea-driven and most profitable end of the market.

Nigerian ethnic groups are quite predictable.

Dsalvo:


Here comes the agbaya empty chest beaters who can't accept reality. Looolll.

What reality is there to accept in an era where the valuation of Tesla is more the the valuation of all car manufacturing companies in the world.

A little known opay that is less than 5 years has more valuation than all the FUGAZ big 5 biggest Nigerian banks.
Is it by the number of mushroom startup or their valuation and market share

kettykin:


Who lives on salary these days

Again he is a boy boy to the South African owners.

A small boy in USA with little year of entry earn more than that audio chairman.

Then if he doesn’t live on his salary, he is corrupt then coz he needs to explain where his source of money comes from besides the bonus.

They know your MTN chair have no relevance in this which explained why he’s not listed in this. Abi you see Mike Adenuga name for here Shikodi?

kettykin:


What reality is there to accept in an era where the valuation of Tesla is more the the valuation of all car manufacturing companies in the world.

A little known opay that is less than 5 years has more valuation than all the FUGAZ big 5 biggest Nigerian banks.
Is it by the number of mushroom startup or their valuation and market share

Calendly startup owned by a Yoruba guy is over $3billion in valuation. How much is Opay valuation ? Last I heard it’s just $2billion.

Flutterwave Fintech owned by a Yoruba is over $1billion valuation.

Which Igbo startup is close to this Shinedu?

kettykin:


What reality is there to accept in an era where the valuation of Tesla is more the the valuation of all car manufacturing companies in the world.

A little known opay that is less than 5 years has more valuation than all the FUGAZ big 7 biggest Nigerian banks

Stop disgracing yourself. New Markets will always have 'early bird' innovators because it has to be someone.

That means diddly squat when very brilliant competition begins to rear head.

What is so hard to understand about Yorubas, accross the board, dominating the development, use and applications of information technology?

Can you guys never give credit where due or, at worst, shut up and say nothing if incapable of that?

trutharena:


Calendly startup owned by a Yoruba guy is over $3billion in valuation. How much is Opay valuation ? Last I heard it’s just $2billion.

Flutterwave Fintech owned by a Yoruba is over $1billion valuation.

Which Igbo startup is close to this Shinedu?

They really are irritating. They debase and perjure themselves wilfully, without a care for their image, just to deny giving credit to Yorubas. Their seniors.

Would it not be better for them to just shut it and 'fem'?