Last numbers about Coworking in Africa in 2016

In 2016, this conference presentation provided a brief snapshot of coworking development in Africa and placed it within the expansion of coworking worldwide. It reproduced global estimates of 7,800 coworking spaces and 510,000 members for 2015, both identified as projections from the Global Coworking Survey 2015–16. For Africa, the deck cited World Bank data indicating that 200 tech hubs were operating across the continent and Social Workplace research estimating about 200 coworking spaces and tech hubs combined. A country chart showed Egypt and South Africa well ahead of the other listed markets, with 76 and 67 locations respectively, followed by Morocco with 17, Nigeria with 13 and Kenya with 12. The presentation associated the sector’s potential growth with Africa’s population of one billion across 54 countries and a claim that 75% of the population was under 25. It also described coworking spaces as part of local entrepreneurial ecosystems and discussed the overlap between coworking spaces and specialist technology hubs. The closing slides outlined the aims of the Coworking Europe conference and announced the Coworking Africa 2016 Meetup in Cape Town.

Key findings

• The deck cited 200 operational tech hubs in Africa from World Bank data.
• Social Workplace research estimated about 200 coworking spaces and tech hubs across Africa.
• The country chart recorded 76 locations in Egypt and 67 in South Africa, compared with 17 in Morocco, 13 in Nigeria and 12 in Kenya.
• The deck stated that Africa had one billion people across 54 countries and that 75% of its population was under 25.

Presented by Vanessa Sans, Coworking Europe, at Coworking Europe 2016