African tech startups are still far from gender parity in leadership, but the gap has narrowed steadily since 2023, according to a new report tracking thousands of companies across the continent.
The third edition of “Diversity Dividend: Exploring Gender Equality in the African Tech Ecosystem,” released by a research firm in partnership with Madica, Thinkroom and Jumpstarter Crowdfunding, found that female representation at the founding and CEO levels has reached its highest recorded levels. The study combines quantitative data on female founders and their access to funding with direct interviews with women and investors about their experiences in the ecosystem.
Female co-founders and CEOs reach new highs
In 2023, when the first edition was published, only 350 of the 2,395 startups tracked — 14.6% — had at least one female co-founder. Just 230, or 9.6%, were led by a female CEO.
Those numbers ticked up in 2024, when 483 of 2,786 startups (17.3%) had a female co-founder and 310 (11.1%) had a woman at the helm.
This latest edition analyzed more startups than ever before. Of the 3,331 companies tracked, 641 — 19.2% — had at least one woman on the founding team, and 402, or 12.1%, were led by a female CEO. The increases represent gains of almost five percentage points for co-founders and three points for CEOs over three years.
African tech remains a male-dominated space, and the report is clear that much work remains to bring more women into founding and leadership roles. But the trend line is moving in the right direction, and that’s worth noting.
Related: NjiaPay introduces one click payments solution
The big four markets close the gap
Gender diversity varies sharply by country, with no single market exceeding 29% of startups having a female co-founder or CEO. Smaller ecosystems like Zambia, Uganda, Senegal and Rwanda have historically performed better on these metrics. But the “big four” markets — South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya — have been catching up, and much of the overall improvement since 2023 traces back to those countries.
Nigeria saw female representation on founding teams grow to 22%, up from 20.7% in 2024 and 16.5% in 2023. The share of startups with female CEOs rose to 13.1% from 12.1% and 10.8% respectively. South Africa moved to 19.1% for female co-founders, up from 18.1% and 13.6% over the same period, while female CEO share reached 12.3%.
Kenya posted the strongest numbers among the big four, with 23.6% of startups having a female co-founder and 16.7% led by a female CEO. Egypt also improved, reaching 15% for co-founders and 7.6% for CEOs.
The broader picture is uneven.
Tunisia and Cameroon saw declines in both metrics. Senegal, Rwanda and Tanzania improved on co-founder diversity but fell back on female CEO share. Ethiopia had fewer female co-founders but more women CEOs. In Ivory Coast, there is barely a woman to be found.
What stands out is that progress isn’t uniform. Some markets are moving fast, others are stalling, and a few are going backward. That patchwork pattern suggests local conditions — funding networks, cultural attitudes, policy environments — matter a great deal in shaping who gets to lead.
