The United States Consul General Will Stevens recently provided a keynote talk at the Global Tech Africa Conference. In his speech, he shed light on the role that the United States plays in influencing the technological sector in Africa.
Will Stevens pointed out, in the midst of the debates, that eighty percent of Nigerian businesses were established in the United States, which is an essential trend in the rapidly developing technology sector.
During his talk to the audience, Consul General Will Stevens brought attention to the dynamic nature of Africa’s economies, particularly that of Nigeria, which is a vital market in the United States’ agenda for supporting the growth of the digital economy on the continent. He emphasized the importance of Nigeria.
Read also: Nigerian startups compete for N59 million in prize money from Zenith Zecathon
The connection between American investors and Nigerian startups
“Up to 60 per cent of African startups are incorporated in the United States – this figure is 80 per cent when considering Nigeria alone,” stated Will Stevens, emphasising the profound and significant connection between American investors and the Nigerian startup sector. This number is extremely telling about the degree to which the United States and China are committed to working together to encourage creative problem-solving and robust economic expansion.
The fact that financial investment is being funnelled into tech firms in Africa is something that has many people’s attention. The total amount of funding raised by African startups in 2021 was $4.8 billion, equivalent to an average of almost $1 million raised every two hours.
Consul General Stevens made a point to emphasise the relevance of venture capital businesses based in the United States by saying, “U.S. venture capital firms are investing heavily in African tech startups with over 60 and 40 per cent of venture capital funding in Nigeria and Africa, respectively coming from the United States.”
In spite of a general drop in venture capital investments around the world, investors in the United States, including Techstars, Y-Combinator, and 500, have successfully executed more than one hundred large deals in the first nine months of the year 2023. This confirms the sustained interest and commitment from the United States in assisting the expansion of the digital economy in Africa, with Nigeria placed prominently on the radar as a target country.
The Consulate General in Lagos is not only a bystander in this ecosystem; instead, it plays an active role within it. The Consul General Stevens informed us, “At the Consulate here in Lagos, we work with numerous startups to facilitate their participation in incubator and accelerator programs, thereby connecting these Nigerian startups with global markets.”
This cooperative endeavour goes beyond only providing financial assistance; instead, it serves as a bridge that connects innovations originating in Nigeria with opportunities on a global scale.
Impact of these investments
Consul General Stevens underlined the enormous impact that these investments are having, going beyond the financial metrics and the encouraging trend of Nigerian firms being incorporated in the United States. He made the observation that “startups are creating not only jobs but careers, boosting economic growth, and advancing innovation.” The positive benefits of these ripples are not limited to simple economic measures; instead, they represent a stable force in the Nigerian technology sector.
While acknowledging the accomplishments that have been reached, Consul General Stevens stated, “Despite all of these successes, we believe it is still Day 1 in the African tech sector.” This vision of the future argued that there is an infinite opportunity for growth and collaboration and that the United States continues to be at the forefront of fostering innovation and determining the future of Nigeria’s technology sector.
