{
  "id": 16187128,
  "title": "Africa’s deep tech ambitions are running into an ecosystem raised on software",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/africas-deep-tech-ambitions-are-running-into-an-ecosystem-raised-on",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-23T12:47:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCabal",
    "slug": "techcabal",
    "url": "https://techcabal.com/2026/10/23/africa-deep-tech-ambitions-software/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence technology startup, has gained recognition as one of the prominent names in Africa's deep tech sector. The company, founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, manufactures autonomous drones, sentry towers, and crewless ground vehicles using its proprietary ArtemisOS platform. In August, Terra secured a $52 million seed round, the largest in Africa, showcasing the potential of deep tech companies if supported by a robust ecosystem.\n\nThe United Nations Development Programme defines deep tech as technology rooted in scientific discoveries, engineering innovations, and research advances, with significant R&D. This encompasses drone and robotics development, semiconductor and computing technologies, biotechnology, medical devices, and certain artificial intelligence applications.\n\nUnlike fintech or logistics startups that leverage existing technology, deep tech businesses develop their fundamental systems. This necessitates designing and testing prototypes, sourcing specialized components, collaborating with researchers and engineers, and accessing labs or manufacturing facilities.\n\nChukwuemeka Afigbo, convener of the Africa Deep Tech Foundation, highlights the challenges faced by hardware companies in the ecosystem. These companies struggle to secure the necessary components locally, citing concerns over import costs, foreign exchange fluctuations, customs procedures, and import duties. In Nigeria, 84% of hardware components used in the telecommunications sector are imported, including printed circuit boards, semiconductors, connectors, antennas, and other electronic parts.\n\nA 2021 baseline study found that Africa accounts for less than 1% of global semiconductor economic output, with limited capacity in semiconductor production, design, testing, artificial intelligence, and data-center development. Funding is another hurdle, with African startups raising $3.42 billion in 2025, dominated by fintech at $1.37 billion. The economics of deep tech can make revenue-generation longer and failure costs higher than in software ventures.\n\nGovernment attention to advanced technology in Africa is growing, with Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa publishing or updating AI strategies. However, this focus may overshadow the physical demands and capital intensity of the broader deep tech sector. While there are growing interest and initiatives, public policy needs to catch up with the scale and supply-chain requirements of building hard tech on the continent.",
  "summary": "Africa’s deep tech ambitions are growing, but limited infrastructure, funding, talent and policy support make building harder.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}