In this article, Entreprenuer reports that despite the tech industry’s progressive reputation, its track record for hiring, promoting and funding women is bleak: Only 17 percent of American startups have female founders. However, halfway across the globe in tech hubs like Lagos, Nigeria, and Nairobi, Kenya, 46 percent of African ventures have a female founder and prospects for closing the gender gap there are high. 

At the legislative level, some African governments are taking steps to speed transformation through regulations that support more gender-diverse board composition and equity ownership. While these policies are still young, recent legislation in South Africa points to the potential for future progress. In 2016, the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Act was revised to require public companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to submit annual compliance reports to the BEE Commission on the promotion of gender diversity at the board level.