Top 10 African cities with the fastest-growing coworking space density
As of May 2025, over 500 coworking spaces are active across Africa's major cities, marking a sharp increase from previous years.
Africa has seen a significant rise in coworking spaces, with over 500 active locations as of May 2025.
Major operators such as Regus and regional hubs like Impact Hub are expanding into cities like Lagos and Kigali.
The cities with the highest coworking density are Lagos, Nairobi, and Cairo, reflecting strong demands from startups and businesses.
This growth in coworking spaces in Africa is being driven by a combination of urban population expansion, rising commercial rent prices, increased startup activity, and the normalization of remote work.
Verified data from Coworker shows a marked rise in the number of operational coworking hubs across Africa's major commercial centers.
The spike is linked to several factors: high urban youth populations, startup-friendly policies, flexible lease demand, and the rising costs of traditional commercial property.
Governments are offering support through incubation zones and innovation-friendly reforms, while private capital, both local and international, is flowing into real estate tailored for flexible, short-term use.
Global operators such as Regus have opened new locations in cities like Lagos, Dakar, and Casablanca, while Impact Hub and Seedspace continue to support early-stage founders in Kigali and Abidjan.
African cities with high coworking space density
Here are the top 10 African cities with the highest coworking space density in 2025, based on verified listings:
Lagos remains Africa's coworking capital with 120 spaces, driven by expansion from international brands and strong local demand from tech and creative startups.
Nairobi follows closely with 94 spaces, supported by innovation-focused districts like Westlands and a growing interest in sector-specific shared workspaces.
Cairo's 85 coworking hubs reflect its hybrid mix of legacy business zones and newly developed smart cities.
Johannesburg and Cape Town, with 67 and 64 spaces respectively, maintain strong momentum thanks to financial sector usage and appeal to nonprofits and creatives.
Mid-sized cities such as Casablanca, Accra, and Abidjan are building coworking momentum by positioning themselves as regional startup bases, offering support to early-stage ventures. Though smaller, Dakar and Kigali are investing in coworking through boutique spaces and policy initiatives aimed at remote professionals.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Russia's State Duma passes bill to create state messaging app as it considers blocking WhatsApp
The State Duma, the lower chamber of Russia's parliament, passed a bill on June 10 to create a new messaging app, the so-called "national messenger," the Duma's press service reported, as the Kremlin tries to reduce its dependency on WhatsApp and Telegram The new app "combines the features of a messenger and the functions of government services," a statement read. The news comes as Russia tries to reduce citizens' access to foreign messengers and other online services in favor of domestic applications. The new online platform is needed to increase "the availability of governmental services" and "strengthen the protection of information exchanged among users," according to the bill. The new application will be integrated into Russian state and municipal databases, and private information can be transferred with the user's consent, particularly for "identification, signing contracts, paying for services or goods." Documents submitted through the "national messenger" will be equated to paper originals. The system will also allow users to certify documents with their electronic signatures. The Russian messenger will include all "educational services and chats that educational institutions of all levels currently use." The Russian government will choose a company to develop the application. In March 2022, the Russian government blocked Facebook and Instagram. Two years later, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced the blocking of Viber and Signal apps. The Russian government is also considering blocking WhatsApp, an app owned by Meta, a company labeled as an "extremist organization" in Russia. In July 2024, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, began throttling YouTube speeds, initially blaming technical issues caused by wear and tear on Google's servers. Google dismissed the claim, while Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein later confirmed the slowdowns were intentional. Read also: In African universities, Russia's war against Ukraine finds new supporters We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starmer's Chagos ‘surrender' will fund tax cuts for Mauritians
Sir Keir Starmer's Chagos 'surrender' deal will fund tax cuts for Mauritians, it has emerged. The Mauritian government has said it would use almost £500 million in payments under the terms of the Chagos agreement to pay off its national debt. This will allow ministers to abolish income tax entirely for 81 per cent of employed Mauritians, and raise minimum salaries. Sir Keir has been criticised over the deal, which will cost the UK up to £30 billion over a 99-year period, including rent payments to use a joint US-UK military base on the Chagos Islands and creating a pot of development spending for Mauritius. Conservative and Reform MPs have said the 'surrender' of the islands, which have been owned by the UK since before Mauritius was granted independence in 1968, was unnecessary and expensive. The terms of the deal include rent payments of £165 million a year for the next three years for the Diego Garcia military base, which has been used for bombing runs by Britain and America in the Middle East. Mauritian leaders celebrated the deal as the 'decolonisation' of the Chagos Islands, which lie at the centre of the Indian Ocean and are uninhabited except for military personnel. Navin Ramgoolam, the Mauritian prime minister, has now announced that the money paid by the UK will help Mauritius cut taxes, so that 81 per cent of people in the African island nation will not pay any income tax. It comes despite warnings that Britons face tax hikes in Rachel Reeves's Budget this autumn, which is now thought to contain a black hole tens of billions of pounds large. The Mauritian reforms were announced in a budget speech by Mr Ramgoolam last Wednesday, when he said that the UK's Chagos payments for the next three years would be used to help pay off the country's national debt, which has reached 90 per cent of GDP. He said that to reach a long-term debt level of 60 per cent, the government would adjust 'both the expenditure side and the revenue side of the budget', and raise the minimum salary before an employee pays income tax to £8,073 a year. That increase, of 28 per cent, will scrap income tax entirely for 44,000 people and reduce levies on all other earners. 'As a result of the measures I have introduced, 81 per cent of employees in our country will not pay any income tax,' he said, adding that he had also decided to cut VAT on some food products. After three years, British payments for the Chagos Islands will be used for a 'future fund' to 'create wealth for future generations', Mr Ramgoolam said. Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said the announcement showed that Mauritius had taken the 'feeble and pathetic' Sir Keir 'for a ride'. 'The only people benefiting from Labour's higher taxes are the people of Mauritius,' she said. 'While causing a financial black hole in Britain, whacking up our taxes and planning further tax raids, Labour's Chagos surrender deal means families in Mauritius will see their taxes cut at our expense. 'This is an insult to hard-working British people who have once again been betrayed by Keir Starmer with millions more paying more in tax.' Announcing the deal last month, Sir Keir claimed that the deal would have a 'net cost' of £3.4 billion, with annual payments averaging £101 million a year. But documents later published by the Foreign Office showed the UK had agreed to pay as much as £30 billion over 99 years, with most of the payments increased in line with inflation. A last-minute legal challenge succeeded in delaying the signing of the deal by several hours, but was ultimately dismissed by the High Court. It comes as an expert panel commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council said that the deal should be suspended after complaints that it did not respect the rights of the native Chagossians. 'We call for the ratification of the agreement to be suspended, and for a new agreement to be negotiated that fully guarantees the rights of the Chagossian people to return to all islands of the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia,' they said. The Government has been approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Business Insider
Africa Soft Power Summit 2025: Mobilising capital, creativity and influence for African-led growth
The summit comprised two main conferences: the Remarkable African Women's Leadership Conference and the Creative & Innovative Industries Conference, alongside the Africa Soft Power Gala & Awards. "Africa's creative and tech sectors... have already proven themselves to be a powerful engine for growth," said Nkiru Balonwu, Founder of Africa Soft Power Group. 'African soft power can be a hugely influential force in driving positive change.' A central theme of the Remarkable African Women's Leadership Conference was the imperative to move beyond superficial gestures of inclusion towards embedding gender equity into the core of institutional and economic structures. Hon. Naisula Lesuuda, Member of Parliament, Samburu West, Kenya, in her keynote, warned of "inclusion fatigue," where policy tweaks fail to translate into real opportunity, and called instead for deep institutional reform. Mary Mulili, MD/CEO, UBA Kenya, whose bank operates in a sector traditionally dominated by male leadership, urged organisations to integrate gender equity into corporate strategy, not silo it as a standalone initiative. Balonwu argued for Africa to 'define its own DEI frameworks, rooted in context, not copy-paste', while Wangari Muikia, Founder, Expertise Global, maintained that DEI should be positioned not as a discretionary item but as a fundamental driver of economic performance, supported by data. Innovation, creative and knowledge industries: New economic frontiers At the Creative & Innovative Industries Conference, Discussions on financial technologies focused on driving innovation while ensuring stability and broad access. Philip Ikeazor, Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Central Bank of Nigeria, said regulators were working to "support the growth of digital finance" and are constantly developing 'baseline standards that incorporate the latest technologies'. Aliya Shariff, Senior Director for Africa Catalytic Impact Fund, Mastercard Foundation observed that digital finance is vital for reducing the high "cost of operations" for businesses on the continent. Mr. Ikeazor later described infrastructure as 'what connects capital to innovation'. The advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) also prompted significant discussion on how Africa can utilize its capabilities equitably. Dr. Seydina Moussa Ndiaye, President of the Senegalese Association for Artificial Intelligence, defined digital sovereignty as the ability to control data and infrastructure while "framing the technology in our own terms,' while Muthoni Karubiu, COO of Amini, challenged the obsession with billion-dollar data centres: 'What works for us? What is important for our context?' Lorna Omondi, Partnerships Lead, Google Research Africa stressed the importance of training AI models on African data to solve problems, while Kojo Boakye, Vice President of Public Policy for Africa, Middle East and Türkiye, Meta highlighted the potential of open-source models like Llama to democratise access for African developers. Sports & Storytelling: Underleveraging soft power Africa's sports and entertainment sectors were presented as underleveraged growth assets. Chi Ogbuehi, VP of Marketing Technology & Consumer Products, National Football League (NFL), discussed initiatives like the NFL's International Player Pathway, aimed at cultivating talent directly within Africa, noting the shift towards investing in local development ecosystems. Joel Omotto, Senior Reporter, Pulse, emphasized the power of sports narratives to shape perceptions of the continent, reflecting stories of resilience and achievement. Investment in these sectors, as noted by Julio De Souza, Vice President, Venture Capital and Impact Finance, StraLlink, emphasised the need for 'investable, local, and foreigner' opportunities, leveraging technology and entertainment for growth. Film and Arts: Developing bankable creative assets The 'Producing for Profit' panel addressed the commercial potential of Africa's film sector. Kola Aina, Founding Partner, Ventures Platform, argued that authenticity and contextual relevance were key to bankability. 'Strong business cases,' he said, require 'data, distribution, and de-risking.' Filmmaker Judy Kibinge rejected the notion that African documentaries must focus on negative themes to gain global traction, advocating for 'a human story that needs to travel.' Michael Strano, Chair, Partners Against Piracy Association of Kenya, cited piracy as a significant threat, estimating daily losses of "$2.2 million" to Kenya's creative industry. Unlocking the value of Africa's beauty and wellness economy The panel 'Beauty, Balance, and Billions: The Female Economy & Modern Health' explored Africa's growing beauty, wellness, and healthcare sectors — areas powered by women as both consumers and entrepreneurs. Waitherero Githu, Head of East Africa Operations, Uncover, called for innovation grounded in African needs. Daisy Isiaho, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Zuri Health, stated: 'We're not just solving for vanity. We're solving for visibility, access, and dignity in care.' Umuhany Zuhudi, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Daya Hub East Africa, and Dr. Silvia Okamgba — who moderated the session — emphasised ethical investment and inclusive entrepreneurship as cornerstones of sustainable sector growth. Another session examined how remittance flows can move beyond private transfers to support broader development. Temi Popoola, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), advocated for repositioning remittances as channels for structured investment: 'They can serve as access points into national development and capital markets.' Andrew Kabeke Mutha, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom Money Transfer Ltd, stressed the importance of transparency and trust to encourage diaspora participation. Gakii Mwongera, Director of Mobile Financial Services, Ericsson, called for interoperable, scalable systems across the continent. James Irungu Mwangi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Africa Climate Ventures, added, 'If structured well, remittances can support climate adaptation, SMEs, and community-scale infrastructure, but this requires enabling policy and intentional design.' More Themes: Capital Flows, collaboration and narrative control Throughout the summit, speakers repeatedly emphasized the need for greater African-led investment. Edwin Macharia, Co-Founder, noted that too many capital decisions are made by individuals with little understanding of African markets. Lewam Kefela, Principal, Partech Africa, underscored the need for more Africans, and more women, in key investment roles. Collaboration was another key theme, with panellists calling for closer ties between governments and the private sector, across borders, and even among competitors to build robust, scalable ecosystems. There was also a strong consensus on the need for Africa to define and project its own narrative, in AI, DEI, film, and finance. The call was clear: African priorities must be set and communicated on African terms, in response to shifting global dynamics. Implications and outlook The Africa Soft Power Summit 2025 offered a cohesive vision of African-led growth driven by cultural capital, financial innovation, and inclusive leadership. The challenge now lies in turning these insights into action. Panellists emphasized that realizing this vision will require political will, financial backing, and coordinated implementation. Above all, they called for a collective commitment to ensure Africa's expanding influence is exercised sustainably, and inclusively.