The United Kingdom is emerging as a key base for African technology companies, combining corporate registration with operational presence, regulatory licensing and commercial activity, according to a new report by TLP Advisory.The report, Home and Away: Tracking African Tech’s Global Footprint, examined 100 technology companies across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Ghana and Morocco, assessing why the firms maintain links with the UK, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, and what those connections enable. Among companies affiliated with the UK, 84 per cent are incorporated there, 47 per cent have an operational presence and 19 per cent hold regulatory licences, compared with just three per cent of US-affiliated companies and four per cent of UAE-linked firms holding licences.
The findings point to a growing distinction in how African technology businesses approach international expansion, with founders using different jurisdictions to meet specific financing, operational and regulatory needs rather than relying on a single foreign market. While the US maintains the broadest international reach among African technology companies, with 67 per cent of the companies having US affiliations compared with 32 per cent for the UK and 23 per cent for the UAE, its appeal is largely concentrated around corporate incorporation, with 81 per cent of US-connected companies having incorporation as their only recorded affiliation.
The UAE, by contrast, has the strongest operational focus of the three markets, with 87 per cent of UAE-affiliated companies having an operational presence there, serving as a hub for day-to-day operations and access to the wider Middle East. The UK presents a different pattern, combining incorporation with a broader business presence that includes licences, teams on the ground and customers, making it a more comprehensive destination for businesses seeking to establish a lasting presence.
For African fintech companies, the UK offers access to an established market and a large diaspora with cross-border financial connections, with research showing that 40 per cent of UK residents born in sub-Saharan Africa send money abroad, compared with 27 per cent of all UK residents born overseas. The report also highlighted early-stage investment incentives, including the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Enterprise Investment Scheme, support for international founders through the Global Entrepreneur Programme, the familiarity of English common law, and access to capital markets through the London Stock Exchange and AIM.
“What is striking about the UK is how often it comes with more than only incorporation. It comes with licences, teams on the ground and customers,” said Odunoluwa Longe, a co-founder and partner at TLP Advisory. “The UK wants to be a long-term partner, supporting founders from initial market entry through to scale, and an eventual exit or IPO.”
TLP Advisory cautioned that its findings were based on 100 companies selected for having documented international affiliations and should not be interpreted as representative estimates for the wider African technology ecosystem. The report also does not establish that companies are moving away from the US to Britain, as a company can have ties to several destinations, and the release gives no comparable earlier-year figures.
The findings nonetheless provide useful context for founders weighing a UK expansion, illustrating how selected companies use a base for incorporation, operations and licensing, and offering a roadmap for those seeking to build the right networks, partnerships and commercial relationships to turn that presence into growth.
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