Women in Tech: Kenya vs Nigeria – Two Different Worlds

Hosts: Angela Wambui & Monicah Muhoya with guest Lucy Mbuthia

During a recent OVAReact Podcast episode, Lucy Mbuthia, Country Director for Women in Tech Kenya and Fintech expert shared striking differences between Kenya and Nigeria's tech landscapes. Having worked in both ecosystems, her insights reveal key contrasts in funding, collaboration, and opportunities for women.

Funding Access: "Clicky" vs Collaborative

• What we observe in Kenya:

  • Tight-knit investor circles that often favour repeat founders. "The same people get funded for their 3rd startup while new founders struggle," Lucy notes.

  • Safaricom’s dominance stifles fintech innovation. "If Safaricom launches a savings product, startups lose customers overnight."

• What we observe in Nigeria:

  • More founder-to-founder investment. "They fund each other even competitors, seeing acquisition potential." This according to Lucy through what she observed when she worked there.

  • The country has a larger market due to the population thus attracting bolder bets. Lucy states "You can build a unicorn here but Kenya’s 47M population limits scale."

    
    

Cultural Mindsets: Caution vs Hustle

• What we observe in Kenya:

  • In Kenya lending is structured but risk-averse through centralised credit bureaus that enable safer lending.

  • Due to exponential growth with Safaricom, Kenya boasts a telco-driven economy that creates stability with less disruption which has also changed banking's approach too.

• What we observe in Nigeria:

  • Fragmented payments and identity systems force creative workarounds e.g., community-based loan recovery that is not regulated.

  • We witness a more ruthless ambition culture.

    
    

Women’s Inclusion: Community as a Tool

In Kenya there are fewer women-led fintechs and it is obvious the focus remains on traditional gender roles. While in Nigeria, female founders leverage communal models."They build with women, not just for them," Lucy emphasises.

Nigeria’s size and hustle culture fosters innovation but it comes with chaos. Kenya’s smaller, regulated market offers stability but less room for disruption. For women, Nigeria’s community-centric approach unlocks more opportunities but both ecosystems need:

• More female investors to close funding gaps.

• Policy reforms e.g., Kenya’s telco dominance Vs Nigeria’s lack of credit bureaus.

• Cross-border collaboration to share best practices.

  
  

"Africa needs all its tech hubs to thrive," says Lucy. "But women must demand seats at the table not just as users, but as architects."

Participate in the Women In Tech Kenya AI track at the upcoming Heels Connect: Women In Tech Brunch 2.0 on Saturday Aug 9th 2025. It is an event that promises to be a great opportunity for women thriving in various tech fields. Grab Your ticket today!

Watch the full episode with Lucy Mbuthia below!