African Countries Progress in Digital Entrepreneurship Ecosystems
African countries are gradually advancing in the development of their digital entrepreneurship ecosystems, driven by improvements in infrastructure, increased digital skills, and the growth of technological startups. This trend is highlighted by the 2025 Digital Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Index, published by The Vienna Institute for Global Studies (VIGS), which assesses countries' ability to transform digitization into sustainable entrepreneurial opportunities.
International Ranking
The international ranking analyzes the performance of 170 countries based on over 50 indicators, grouped into four main pillars:
- Digital infrastructure, which measures the quality of networks, access to electricity, and internet server security
- Digital citizenship, which takes into account digital skills, online freedoms, and cybersecurity
- Multi-faceted digital platforms
- Technological entrepreneurship, including access to venture capital, the presence of incubators, the number of startups, and locally developed applications Each country is scored on a scale of 0 to 100 points.
African Ranking
At the African level, the 2025 ranking shows a relatively stable hierarchy, dominated by countries that have invested heavily in digital transformation. The top 10 African countries in terms of digital entrepreneurship ecosystems are:
- South Africa (59th globally), driven by an advanced regulatory framework for information technology, a structured digital market, and a relatively mature startup ecosystem
- Mauritius (60th), which benefits from a favorable business environment and a coherent digital strategy
- Morocco (83rd), which has established itself as a regional hub for digital services and technological innovation
- Tunisia (87th)
- Egypt (92nd)
- Cape Verde (93rd)
- Botswana (101st)
- Kenya (104th)
- Ghana (105th)
- Algeria (111th)
Key Trend
Beyond the ranking, the study highlights a key trend: Sub-Saharan Africa has shown the strongest relative progress in the world between 2017 and 2022. Although its average score remains lower than that of developed regions, this progress reflects a real acceleration, particularly in the areas of digital infrastructure and digital citizenship. In other words, African countries are starting from a lower base but are advancing faster proportionally.
