Africa is an often underestimated and overlooked region when it comes to mega hubs for Innovation, compared to the USA and Europe. And yet, the continent has some of the fastest-growing and seriously innovative ecosystems in the world. In this article, we will present a guide to the Best Startup Cities in Africa.

1. Nairobi, Kenya
2. Lagos, Nigeria
3. Cape Town, South Africa
4. Johannesburg, South Africa
5. Cairo, Egypt
6. Kigali, Rwanda
7. Tunis, Tunisisa
8. Kampala, Uganda
9. Accra, Ghana
10. Casablanca, Morrocco

To determine which cities should be included in the list, we used the newest Global Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report by StartupBlink that analyzes startup ecosystems in 1,000 cities and 100 countries. 

The 10 Best Startup Cities in Africa

Continue reading The Best Startup Cities In Africa: A Guide →

StartupBlink has launched the Startup Ecosystem Ranking Report 2019 that now ranks 1,000 cities and 100 countries worldwide and is available for download here.

Kigali, the capital of Rwanda and the biggest city in the country with an estimate of 1 million people during the day and over 700,000 people at night. The city hosts the headquarters of the majority of the companies operating in the country.

With its great infrastructure, connectivity and stable electricity, Rwanda is ranked fastest growing economy in Africa and 2nd place for doing business on the continent, with easy access to East African markets like Burundi, DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.

Continue reading Kigali: Fast-tracking economic development →

Download our report here.

2019 Rank: 100
2017 Rank: 100

Startup map of Ethiopia: Here

Our top 100 country rankings close with Ethiopia.

Maintaining the status quo and remaining in the same position as our last ranking, Ethiopia needs to do more to rise up the rankings. The country faces the same issues as other African ecosystems, such as lack of infrastructure and need for better startup-friendly and corporate taxation policies.

Nevertheless, it is worth to mention that Ethiopian startup ecosystem has some important players, like Sheba Valley, a leading hub for AI tech startups, and incubators like Ice Addis and blueMoon. The top startup city, Addis Ababa (at 505th), shows that the ecosystem is slowly developing, and has moved up 290 positions, nearly joining the top 500 club.