What Brexit Means for Afrika's Tech Giants | Hacker News Reader

What Brexit Means for Afrika's Tech Giants

iafrikan.com

34 pointstefo-mohapi23 comments

I disagree that DFID are likely to push more money into overseas tech. The premise is that the UK will have more resources post-Brexit. It's extremely unlikely. They will simply have less money, at least in the medium (5yr) timescale.

But one thing it could mean is an influx of highly skilled tech workers.

My partner and I have just relocated from Cambridge, UK to Nairobi, Kenya, along with our baby son and our small scientific software company. We were originally just here for the summer but after the Brexit result decided to stay.

One thing that helped make the decision is that the tech scene in Nairobi is exploding. There are 5 VCs to every startup and tech workers are in very high demand, especially software engineers and data scientists. There are also some very talented and determined people working to build capacity here to fuel the growth of tech. The possibility of being a part of that growth is really exciting to us.

Add to that low cost of living, wonderful weather and culture, high potential for social impact, and remarkably good mobile internet coverage and speeds.

If you're in tech and thinking of making a move internationally, Nairobi is a great option.

Are you serious?

Software Engineers and Data Scientists are in high demand? Last time I was in Kenya was 10+ years so I don't know what the tech scene is like back there these days.

What kinda tech companies are you referring to specifically? Compensation? The few startups I've seen operating in the country tended to have their main roots outside the country and only hired foreigners. I don't want to go on a rant about the ethics of this - that's for another thread.

Also somebody already asked - do you have any relatives (e.g. is your spouse Kenyan)? I feel like for a typical Westerner life in East Africa would require significant adjustment and a decision to make a move should not be taken lightly.

I am absolutely serious.

I've pinged some folks who know the scene better than I do to answer the detailed questions.

No family here for either of us. I completely agree that any international move is a huge deal, especially one that involves a complete culture change. Not suggesting anyone takes it lightly, but recommending it as an option for anyone considering a move.

Incidentally if anyone is interested I'm very happy to share the contacts and local knowledge I have.

> I've pinged some folks who know the scene better than I do to answer the detailed questions.

I just sent you an email.

Hi @stuxnet79. Yes, great talent is in demand, especially engineers and data scientists. At last count there were only 2,000 sr engineers available in Nairobi. An absurdly small number for a city of our size. On data, everyone sees it as the infrastructure of the future. Data underlies the financial sector, as few have enough collateral. Data underlies the supply chain when there is so little price transparency.

First Access and Twiga Foods are companies in each space respectively.

Compensation varies pretty widely. Anywhere from $30-60K USD / year + equity for entry level. Like everywhere, this depends on company stage and sector, FinTech+Corporate being the highest salary.

I agree, if you are a westerner and willy nilly decide you want to come rough it in Africa you are in for a shock. Such a decision should not be taken lightly.

Awesome dude! I lived in Nairobi as a kid in the early 90s. Kenya is a wonderful country.

What's your startup? I've always dreamed of moving back there and opening up a small shop of my own.

Are the VCs experienced, and are they investing serious money (i.e. 1-5 million for a promising seed)?

Hey @jtfairbank. Yes, there are several experience VCs locally as well as internationally that offer these amounts (You're speaking in $'s?). There are also numerous angels and later stage investors.

Happy to share more if you're interested. To start, I recommend browsing: https://vc4africa.biz

You could possibly find this information here: https://angel.co/nairobi

Do you have a background in Kenya or other family there?

I've visited here twice before the trip that turned into a relocation. A month in total, to teach bioinformatics. But other than that no. I do have lots of contacts here though, and that has made a huge difference.

How is cost of living in Nairobi? From quick search it looks a bit more expensive than SE Asia or East Europe.

Depends on how you want to live. You can use Western facilities, restaurants, food items, etc. and pay similar costs to London. But you can also live on a couple of dollars a day buying locally produced food at markets, sticking to non-imported products and things not designed for immigrants.

Accommodation inside Nairobi is fairly expensive, again similar to western prices, but you can get much cheaper accom outside the city - we just rented a big house with 1 acre of land for $500/m. And travel is very cheap, often < $1 for a 1 hour mutatu ride.

You can live cheaply everywhere. I do not mind to eat local food etc... But it sounds that Nairobi is fairly expensive when you want some basic standard.

If you're primarily looking for a cool place to work from or a digital nomad kind of lifestyle, you'd very likely do better in one of those places. Only consider Nairobi or elsewhere in E. Africa if you have a specific reason or interest in the region.

Agreed - the infrastructure for living that lifestyle is much better established in SE asia. I think it's perfectly feasible to do it successfully here, but there's much less of a history of people doing it.

What's healthcare like?

Government-provided healthcare is highly variable, but there are lots of private hospitals that are world-class. A standard doctor's visit will cost like $5.

> These companies use London as a hub for many of their activities within Europe and there will undoubtedly be implications for them with the UK leaving the EU.

I'm under the impression that Ireland will massively benefit from the relocation of many businesses who still want an English-speaking hub for their EU presence.

If Scotland manages to successfully secede and stay in the EU, they'll be even more effective at poaching the UK's tech world.

Afrika is spelled with a 'k' in the title, but with a 'c' in the article.

Possibly a play on the name of the website.

> A recent survey of the UK's tech workers by Juniper Research has found that 65 percent of UK tech workers think Brexit will have a negative impact on the global tech industry.

Wow. The one bit of FUD I absolutely want to happen!

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