In 2023, developers in Sub-Saharan Africa generated approximately $700 million from the Android app economy, with the Android developer ecosystem facilitating more than 150,000 jobs throughout the region.
This information was disclosed in Google's report titled 'The Digital Opportunity of Sub-Saharan Africa,' published on Friday.
The report highlights that Sub-Saharan Africa is home to a vibrant and youthful developer community, comprising over 500,000 professional developers, including more than 50,000 each in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.
Many of these developers are instrumental in the expansion of the continent's prominent tech startups, such as Flutterwave, Chipper, and Paystack.
“Many of these developers, in turn, create apps and services that are distributed through Google’s mobile platform. Android, a free and open mobile operating system developed by Google, enables local developers to reach a broad audience, rather than having to continue to develop new versions of their applications for different devices,” the company said.
Google emphasized that Android has enabled developers in Sub-Saharan Africa to save more than 1.5 million days in development time.
Furthermore, these developers gain from the extensive audience of the Google Play Store, which caters to 2.5 billion users and facilitates over 140 billion downloads each year.
“In total, we estimate the Android App Economy generated over $700 million in revenue for developers in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, while the Android developer ecosystem is supporting over 150,000 jobs across the region,” it noted.
The company has played a crucial role in developer training, going beyond just revenue generation. From 2020 to 2023, it successfully trained 94,000 individuals in the region through initiatives like Google Developer Groups, Google Developer Experts, and Grow with Google Developer programs.
Furthermore, Google highlighted that in 2023, 6.4 million young adults in Sub-Saharan Africa acquired new digital skills via Google Search, which is expected to contribute approximately $7.8 billion to the region's economic growth.
On a larger scale, Google indicated that for every $1 invested in digital technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an anticipated return of over $2 in economic value by the year 2030.
“The opportunities for digital transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa are immense. We’re excited to be part of this journey, driving innovation and economic growth through our investments in connectivity, skills development, and entrepreneurship. The impact we’re seeing today is just the beginning, and we’re committed to helping unlock the full potential of this dynamic region,” said Alex Okosi, Managing Director of Google Africa.