In 2020, there will be an estimated shortage of 900,000 software programmers in Europe and up to a million in the US, as 83% of these companies struggle to source tech talent. But according to Tunga, the African talent pool could be the untapped resource these companies need.

When it comes to software development, Africa is a blind spot to many companies. The continent, however, has great potential, as we can tell from investments by Google and Facebook.

The African talent pool could be a solution for companies that struggle to find good software developers.

Dutch company Tunga published a report about outsourcing of IT-jobs to African employees. In this report, the African countries that are most suitable for finding software developers as well as the reasons why are discussed.

From Algeria to South-Africa

The report Best African countries for sourcing software developers 2019 provides solid statistics on software development in Africa.

By focusing on different aspects in the sector a complete overview is provided, from Algeria to South Africa. Which countries harbour the best tech-talents? Where is the tech-ecosystem growing fastest and where to go for best English language skills? What about wages? Which countries have a stable business climate?

The research has been conducted by Tunga during the past four years in which they have employed software developers in, among others, Nigeria, Egypt and Uganda; all countries with big tech communities.

The projects are monitored by dedicated project managers to ensure that the needs of international clients are met by a professional team.

No primadonna behaviour

Ernesto Spruyt, founder of Tunga, said on the mission and the method of his company, “There is a double advantage to our strategy. On the one hand, we work with people in places with high unemployment rates and few opportunities.

“This way, we create jobs for African youths in places where it has the highest positive impact on society.  This also means that we can offer a high-quality service at very competitive rates.

“Our clients usually want to launch a new software product or prototype quickly, which is quite a challenge in Europe because of the scarcity of developers, high hourly rates and, let’s be honest, the sometimes indifferent attitude of developers. Our people in Africa are incredibly motivated and do not display any primadonna behaviour.”