Nigerian, other developers generated $700m in revenue from Android — Google

Sub-Saharan African developers earned an estimated $700 million from the Android app economy in 2023, with the Android developer ecosystem supporting over 150,000 jobs across the region.

This was revealed in Google’s report titled, ‘The Digital Opportunity of Sub-Saharan Africa,’ released on Friday. According to the tech giant, Sub-Saharan Africa boasts a growing and youthful developer community, with over 500,000 professional developers across the region, including over 50,000 developers each in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.

Many of these developers are driving the growth of the continent’s leading tech startups, including Flutterwave, Chipper, and Paystack.

“Many of these developers, in turn, create apps and services that are distributed through Google’s mobile platform. Android, a free and open mobile operating system developed by Google, enables local developers to reach a broad audience, rather than having to continue to develop new versions of their applications for different devices,” the company said.

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Google highlighted that Android has saved developers in Sub-Saharan Africa over 1.5 million days in development time. Additionally, these developers benefit from the global reach of Google Play Store, which serves 2.5 billion users and supports over 140 billion downloads annually.

“In total, we estimate the Android App Economy generated over $700 million in revenue for developers in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, while the Android developer ecosystem is supporting over 150,000 jobs across the region,” it noted.

Beyond revenue generation, the company has been instrumental in training developers. Between 2020 and 2023, 94,000 individuals in the region were trained through programs such as Google Developer Groups, Google Developer Experts, and Grow with Google Developer initiatives.

In addition to empowering developers, Google reported that 6.4 million young adults in Sub-Saharan Africa learned new digital skills through Google Search in 2023, contributing an estimated $7.8 billion in economic growth for the region.

On a broader scale, Google stated that every $1 invested in digital technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to generate over $2 in economic value by 2030.

“The opportunities for digital transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa are immense. We’re excited to be part of this journey, driving innovation and economic growth through our investments in connectivity, skills development, and entrepreneurship. The impact we’re seeing today is just the beginning, and we’re committed to helping unlock the full potential of this dynamic region,” said Alex Okosi, Managing Director of Google Africa.