Kenya’s lakeside city, Kisumu, has been ranked top in a list of African cities that are unfavorable for startups and slow to adopt the startup trend, according to StartupBlink, a global startup ecosystem map and research centre.
The report says the weak startup environment that exists in the listed urban locations is a major obstacle to achieving the vision of spearheading the continent’s economic change in innovation and opportunity.
“Poor startup ecosystems can exasperate social and economic disparities owing to the fact that in this era, startups have been instrumental in addressing local issues and providing solutions based on what the community wants. In its absence, many societal concerns that could be tackled remain ignored, and the advantages of economic prosperity are not dispersed equally,” reads part of the report seen by BRK.
Below are the top 10 cities appearing on the list of African cities worst for startups, against their rank globally.
1. Kisumu (Kenya) 985th
2. Douala (Cameroon) 943rd
3. Cotonou (Benin) 942nd
4. Agadir (Morocco) 886th
5. Kinshasa (DRC) 878th
6. Kano (Nigeria) 867th
7. Rabat (Morocco) 818th
8. Yaounde (Cameroon) 778th
9. Port Harcourt (Nigeria) 768th
10. Hargeisa (Somalia) 762nd
The report, however, notes that several African regions are quickly becoming globally recognized tech hubs and are attracting multi-billion-dollar investments to aid the establishment of startups.
