Hidden in plain sight: Africa’s service‑delivery powerhouse

By CMSWire STUDIO

Location plays a pivotal role in delivering a seamless digital customer experience. Companies looking for a new delivery location should be aware that Africa is emerging as one of the most compelling locations for the global services delivery market.

There are many unique and often unexplored advantages of Africa as a strategic location, such as its modern infrastructure, deep talent bench, cost efficiency and more. Thanks to these and other factors, countries like Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa have become robust service delivery hubs — especially for English, French, and Arabic-speaking markets.

Advantage: Modern Infrastructure

Across the continent, cities like Cairo, Nairobi, Lagos, and Cape Town have thriving tech ecosystems, which in turn support service-delivery activity. Governments across Africa are investing in broadband and satellite capabilities, ensuring access to high-speed internet across broader regions. These infrastructure upgrades, combined with targeted digital upskilling, are key reasons why many African nations are rising in the annual Kearney Global Services Location Index.

Advantage: Deep Talent Bench

Shifting global demographics call for broader talent sourcing strategies, and Africa offers a distinct advantage with its rapidly expanding workforce. The continent has one of the world’s fastest-growing youth populations, fueling a steady supply of both entry-level and mid-career professionals. Nigeria in particular, is projected to be the world’s third-most populated country by 2050. Continent-wide, Africa will add nearly 800 million people to the workforce to meet business needs by 2050, according to McKinsey research. 

A multilingual workforce is vital for providing high-quality support to diverse global markets. Having a multilingual staff ensures seamless global communication and ensures your organization can provide exceptional customer service no matter the market.

Africa excels in this area, with a youthful workforce capable of delivering customer service in English, French, Arabic and more. Consider that across the continent, Africa is home to more than 250 million English speakers, 210 million Arabic speakers, 120 million French speakers, 60 million Portuguese speakers and more. Additionally, the Instituto Cervantes has a presence in Egypt, supporting Spanish-language capabilities.

Advantage: Coverage and Cost Efficiency

Africa’s geographic position makes it possible to provide real-time services to Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia during standard business hours. And for North America, certain regions, particularly in Western Africa, offer a nearshore or partial overlap, which can be useful for providing customer support or round-the-clock coverage.

At the same time they’re investing in new capabilities, many African governments are encouraging outside investment. Tax breaks, infrastructure development and workforce training programs are actively creating a business-friendly environment, allowing many companies to utilize BPS with less upfront infrastructure compared to other industries.

Conclusion

Africa’s rise as a premier location for delivery services is underpinned by a multilingual talent base, improving digital infrastructure, and advantageous time-zone alignment. This makes the continent an attractive option for anyone looking for a sustainable way to support an English, French, Spanish or Arabic-speaking customer base. By leveraging Africa’s growing capabilities, business decision-makers can build sustainable, responsive, and customer-focused operations to meet evolving market demands.

A global leader in delivering customer support solutions and back-office services at scale, TP (formerly Teleperformance) already has a strong footprint in the region. Present in Africa for nearly two decades, their Africa-based operations support more than 150 clients from around the world across 14 industries. “At TP, we have invested heavily in the continent removing barriers and easing entry into a relatively complex marketplace,” said Gary Slade, regional president UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa. “This means we are uniquely positioned to support global brands who have expanded across the world and as yet not truly maximized the opportunities that Africa represents for growth. Africa is a highly sophisticated market with a passionate workforce and TP stands ready to help brands uncover the massive opportunities to be had here.”

Article prepared in partnership with CMS Wire.