NFT Consult CEO Calls for Scalable ICT Investment to Power Africa’s Youth Employment

💻 ICT: Africa’s Scalable Growth Engine

By Elizabeth Ntege
Group CEO, NFT Consult | Vice President, African ICT Association | Head, ICT Association of Uganda

📍 UK–Africa Business, Trade & Investment Summit 2025 | London, United Kingdom
📅 12 September 2025
✍️ By the Summit Editorial Team

Positioning ICT and Human Capital as Africa’s Next Economic Frontier

At the 15th UK–Africa Business, Trade & Investment Summit, Elizabeth Ntege, Group CEO of NFT Consult, delivered a visionary address framing ICT and human capital as the twin engines of Africa’s economic transformation.

Speaking as Vice President of the African ICT Association and Head of the ICT Association of Uganda, Ntege emphasised that digitalisation is no longer a peripheral enabler — it is a primary growth sector capable of transforming productivity, employment, and competitiveness across the continent.

Africa’s Demographic Dividend Is Digital

By 2050, one in four people in the world will be African, representing a combined spending power of $16.12 trillion. With 830 million young Africans entering the workforce, Ntege highlighted that Africa’s demographic dividend is inherently digital, innovative, and globally relevant.

NFT Consult, which operates in 12 African countries, is a living example of how ICT can create scalable and inclusive employment opportunities.

🔹 Opportunities and Advantages

Tech-Enabled Job Creation

NFT Consult’s scalable employment model demonstrates what’s possible with coordinated investment and talent development:

• A $1 million pilot created hundreds of digital jobs across East Africa.
• A $5.8 million expansion has since generated 1,300+ ICT-based positions, from software development to call-centre operations.

Youth-Driven Workforce

Africa’s young population is driven not by subsistence but by innovation, creativity, and global connection. Ntege highlighted how this workforce is building a new economy powered by skill, not extraction.

Global Demand for Remote Services

Africa is emerging as a cost-effective, high-quality hub for global service delivery in:

• Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) & Customer Support
• Software Development & Cloud Services
• Fintech & Digital Operations
• Virtual Staffing & Back-Office Management

🔹 A Call to Action

Ntege urged public–private partnerships and targeted financing to expand Africa’s digital workforce, stressing that even modest investments can yield exponential impact in employment and GDP growth.

🔹 Investment and Policy Priorities

• Expand ICT job creation programmes across African markets.
• Strengthen institutional partnerships through regional ICT bodies and COMESA.
• Develop digital infrastructure and remote-work platforms to scale cross-border service delivery.

🔹 Reframing Africa’s Global ICT Role

Ntege challenged the global investment community to reframe Africa’s narrative — from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy. With its adaptable, multilingual, and cost-competitive talent base, the continent can serve as a strategic outsourcing hub, supporting industries from banking and insurance to e-commerce and health tech.

🟢 Key Takeaway

ICT is Africa’s fastest-scaling growth sector, capable of generating millions of jobs, fostering inclusion, and integrating African talent into global value chains. With visionary leadership from firms like NFT Consult, and policies that prioritise digital investment and youth empowerment, Africa’s digital workforce can become the engine of the continent’s economic transformation.

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