Comparison workspace
Compare ecosystems and organisations side by side
Select up to four countries or four organisations. Comparison rows stay aligned across the same analytical dimensions, and your selection persists while you browse the rest of the platform.
Demonstration data. All organisations, indicators and figures shown in this mockup are illustrative and do not represent verified ESTDEV records.
Selection tray (3/4)
- Kenya
- South Africa
- Ghana
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Geographic
Coverage map
Included countries (14)
Comparison chart
Actor composition
Comparison chart
Support coverage by mechanism
Comparison chart
Sector specialisation
Comparison chart
Finance landscape
Aligned country dimensions
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Kenya | South Africa | Ghana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem overview | |||
| Regiondiffers | East Africa | Southern Africa | West Africa |
| Recorded actorsdiffers | 141 | 148 | 113 |
| Validated recordsdiffers | 102 | 107 | 81 |
| Actor composition | |||
| Support organisations (ESO)differs | 17 | 19 | 15 |
| Innovation support organisations (ISO)differs | 26 | 28 | 23 |
| Hubs, labs and makerspacesdiffers | 29 | 31 | 25 |
| Ecosystem roles | |||
| Ecosystem roles emphasised | Support organisations (ESO/ISO)Hubs, labs and makerspacesInvestors and funds | Support organisations (ESO/ISO)Hubs, labs and makerspacesInvestors and funds | Support organisations (ESO/ISO)Hubs, labs and makerspacesInvestors and funds |
| Support mechanisms | |||
| Strongest support mechanismsdiffers | IncubationAccelerationMentoring | MentoringMarket AccessInvestment Facilitation | Grant FundingMarket AccessInvestment Facilitation |
| Beneficiaries | |||
| Beneficiary focusdiffers | Rural enterprisesYouth entrepreneursEarly-stage entrepreneursTechnology startups | Persons with disabilitiesRefugee and migrant entrepreneursEarly-stage entrepreneursGrowth-oriented SMEs | Women-led businessesGrowth-oriented SMEsEarly-stage entrepreneursRefugee and migrant entrepreneurs |
| Sectors and technologies | |||
| Priority sectorsdiffers | FinTechAgriTechHealthTechMobilityCleanTech | FinTechHealthTechCleanTechAdvanced ManufacturingEdTech | FinTechAgriTechCreative IndustriesHealthTech |
| Technologiesdiffers | Mobile Money PlatformsArtificial IntelligenceIoTOff-grid Energy | Artificial IntelligenceCloud PlatformsAdvanced MaterialsCybersecurity | Mobile Money PlatformsArtificial IntelligenceData Analytics |
| Finance | |||
| Investors and fundsdiffers | 25 | 27 | 14 |
| Grant-makers and DFIsdiffers | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| Dominant instrumentsdiffers | EquityConvertible notesGrantsVenture debt | EquityConvertible notesGrantsVenture debt | GrantsConcessional loansSmall equity tickets |
| Geographic coverage | |||
| Primary hub locationsdiffers | Nairobi 55%Mombasa 21%Kisumu 14%Eldoret 11% | Johannesburg 55%Cape Town 21%Durban 14%Pretoria 11% | Accra 61%Kumasi 24%Tamale 15% |
| Concentration in lead citydiffers | 55% | 55% | 61% |
| Research and corporate | |||
| Universities and research centresdiffers | 20 | 21 | 17 |
| Corporate innovation unitsdiffers | 11 | 11 | 9 |
| Policy environment | |||
| Policy instrumentsdiffers | Startup BillNational Digital MasterplanData Protection Act | National Integrated ICT PolicyScience, Technology and Innovation Decadal PlanBBBEE enterprise development rules | Digital Financial Services PolicyNational Entrepreneurship PlanData Protection Act |
| Regulatorsdiffers | Central Bank sandboxCommunications AuthorityData Protection Commissioner | Financial Sector Conduct AuthorityICASACompetition Commission | Bank of Ghana sandboxCyber Security Authority |
| Inclusion | |||
| Women-led organisationsdiffers | 23% | 24% | 19% |
| Youth-focused organisationsdiffers | 17 | 18 | 14 |
| Africa–Europe | |||
| Africa–Europe relationshipsdiffers | European DFIs among most active fundersSeveral EU-backed accelerator programmes | Horizon-linked research consortiaMultiple EU–SA innovation partnerships | Several European-funded acceleratorsDiaspora investment networks in the EU |
| Gaps | |||
| Key gapsdiffers | Crowding in NairobiThin later-stage local capitalDuplication between hubs | Access to capital outside Gauteng and Western CapeTownship ecosystem underserved | Limited ticket sizes above seedNorthern regions underservedDuplicated training offers |
| Opportunities | |||
| Collaboration opportunitiesdiffers | Regional gateway for Africa–Europe partnershipsSecondary-city hub expansion | Anchor role for regional scale-up supportCorporate open-innovation matchmaking | Creative economy exportsRegional fintech expansion base |
| Recommended ESTDEV interventionsdiffers | Coordinate overlapping support offersSupport county-level ecosystem mapping | Use as regional hub for ESTDEV knowledge exchangeSupport township hub data collection | Support northern ecosystem developmentDiaspora co-investment facility |
| Evidence | |||
| Evidence confidence | High confidence | High confidence | High confidence |
| Last updateddiffers | 2026-04-16 | 2026-01-12 | 2026-06-10 |