The Garage: A Pan-african coworking initiative (2015)

This 2015 presentation described the development and operation of the Garages, a group of technology-focused coworking spaces in Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos. It traced the network’s origins to entrepreneur Kresten Buch’s need for startup-oriented office space and to gaps observed in cities where 88MPH operated accelerator programmes. The Cape Town Garage had served as a base for 88MPH programmes from 2012 to 2014 and occupied approximately 510 square metres in Woodstock. The Nairobi Garage, opened in 2012, provided 150 desks across 800 square metres and was preparing to move to larger premises. The Lagos Garage opened in September 2014, initially hosted the 440NG Accelerator Program and subsequently operated full-time as a coworking space. Across the three locations, the presentation identified technology, mobile and web startups, freelancers and some small and medium-sized enterprises as the principal users. It also compared recurring operational challenges, including unreliable internet connections, power cuts, limited awareness of coworking in Nigeria and currency fluctuations affecting tenant decisions. Partnerships, generators, uninterruptible power supplies and advance notice of scheduled power cuts were among the responses described.

Key findings

• The network expanded from Cape Town to Nairobi and added its Lagos location in 2014.
• The Nairobi Garage provided 150 desks in 800 square metres and charged an average of $170 per desk.
• The Lagos Garage occupied 250 square metres and accommodated more than 40 people from five companies or teams.

Presented at Coworking Europe 2015