Africa’s Tech Ambitions at Risk as Experts Flag Shortage of Product-Driven Talent
Africa’s rapidly growing technology sector could face slowed progress unless developers and marketers across the continent shift their approach to product development, a senior engineer has warned in a statement released on Saturday, highlighting concerns that skills gaps are limiting long-term innovation and impact.
The warning was issued by Chinedu Ogama, a Senior Backend Engineer at MyGeecs, an edtech platform focused on expanding access to international education for African students.
According to Ogama, the continent’s tech ecosystem is still dominated by professionals who focus narrowly on assigned tasks rather than the broader value and evolution of the products they build.
“The ecosystem needs more developers who think like product engineers, not just people who close tickets, but engineers who consider the generality, usability, and evolution of the product,” Ogama said.
He explained that without this product-first mindset, Africa’s technology growth risks becoming shallow, producing tools that function technically but fail to scale, adapt, or meet real user needs over time.
Beyond engineering, Ogama stressed that marketing talent remains another weak link in the ecosystem, particularly professionals capable of translating complex technical solutions into clear value for users.
“We desperately need more professionals who can bridge the gap between technical execution and user experience,” he said.
Drawing from MyGeecs’ internal strategy, Ogama noted that the company has moved beyond conventional software development by integrating technical leadership with a deeper understanding of educational barriers across Africa.
He said the platform’s work is designed to address systemic issues that have historically limited access to global learning opportunities.
“We are not just building another edtech app,” he said. “We are creating infrastructure that makes international education accessible to students who have historically been excluded, not because they lack talent, but because they lack information, guidance, and streamlined processes.”
Industry observers say such product-focused thinking could determine whether Africa’s tech sector matures into a sustainable engine for development or remains constrained by skills mismatches and short-term execution.
