Buy Shares In These African Tech Companies

The African content is beset by challenges that have made local companies rethink their plans of continental expansion. Political and social instability, flagrant inequality, low literacy levels, regulatory uncertainty, rampant levels of unemployment and crippling infrastructure are but some of the challenges the various nations face.

However, on a continent where more than 60% of its 1.2 billion population are under the age of 25, there also exists unique contingencies, and mainly to do with the embracing of digital technology.

Africa’s young people are early adopters of new tech, something clearly displayed by the quick manner in which mobile money has been lapped up as a viable means of exchanging cash. South Africa is home to some of Africa’s most lucrative tech companies and as it stands, these companies are in a well-suited position to work with global giants such as Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook as opposed to trying to compete with them.

With all this in mind, here are African-based tech companies specialising in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) whose shares you might want to invest in.

Altron

Altron currently operates in just over 20 African countries and provides the type of digital services that can be likened to what Amazon provides; this includes algorithm training, data arrangement and governance, skills training, and AI development and deployment.

Altron often works in conjunction with Cisco, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and a slew of global tech companies. Altron’s share price has practically doubled in the last five years, although it hasn’t yet reach its high of ZAR14 a share, which is what its stock was trading at 3 years ago.

Altron’s price movement is indicative of the fact that Africa, despite the opportunities it presents, will continue to be viewed by investors as a long term player. 

MTN Group

The MTN Group continues to do well in South Africa and the 21 countries it operates in Africa and the Middle East. The mobile tech giant provides mobile financial services, voice, data and digital products. Data is everything in Africa; it provides its people with the means to access the internet and conduct their lives, be it socialising or earning a living by way of trading, which has become huge across the entire continent.

Access to the right data means someone can be in Ghana and still analyse the UK stock market and its share prices and options in order to speculate on the movements. At the time of writing, MTN’s share price was looming at just over ZAR96, down from where it was three years ago when it traded at ZAR117.61, which is also lower that its high of ZAR125.82 five years ago.

A lower share price, means it’s the right time to invest. 

Datatec

Datatec is an ICT Johannesburg-based multinational group that has operations spanning six continents and 50 countries. The group experienced its fastest revenue growth between the financial years of 2019 and 2020 due to its operations in Africa and the Middle East. Contributions rose form 8 to 10%.

This contribution pales in comparison to the 46% of revenue that came from Europe in 2020, which means that Datatec has barely begun to penetrate the African market, which leaves space for future growth and expansion.

Datatec’s share price has in recent times risen by 30%, which is up from where it was 3 years ago, but not quite at the high of ZAR44.50 where it was 5 years ago. At the time of writing, it was trading at ZAR38.27.

Telkom

South Africa’s oldest telecommunications company operates in more than 38 countries across Africa. In recent times and by way of an aggressive marketing strategy, including outsourcing initiatives, the company has seen strong growth in mobile services in its home country and according to analysts, could use this surge to broaden its horizons in terms of taking its mobile services beyond the borders of the South African market where competition is rife.

While the share price isn’t at the ZAR55 high it was five years ago, at the time of writing, it was sitting at ZAR46.91 – a clear indication of growth. Telkom and all the aforementioned companies are established and will not disappear overnight.