Hannington Mambo Is Helping African Businesses Build Software Faster

Five years ago, Hannington Mambo walked into a crowded business networking conference with an idea he believed could transform software development in Africa.

Standing before a room of investors, he explained the architecture, capabilities and long-term potential of FasterDev, a platform designed to simplify how software is built. The technology was ambitious, but the audience struggled to see beyond the technical language. The meeting ended without the investment he had hoped for.

As Hannington packed his materials, however, one investor approached him outside the conference room. Where others had seen complexity, he saw potential. That conversation marked the beginning of a partnership that would help shape FasterDev into a growing software company serving businesses across Africa.

Today, FasterDev is demonstrating that African technology companies can build solutions tailored to African realities—making software development faster, more affordable and more accessible for businesses across the continent.

Hannington Mambo believes African businesses deserve software built for African realities

As businesses across Africa embrace digital transformation, many still encounter the same obstacle: finding software that fits their needs without exceeding their budgets.

Custom-built systems are often expensive and time-consuming to develop, while many off-the-shelf solutions are designed for markets with different business environments and operational challenges. For developers, delivering reliable software can also involve repetitive processes that increase costs and delay deployment.

Hannington understood these frustrations from a unique perspective.

Before transitioning into software development, he built a career in accounting, grants management and humanitarian operations, including experience at Save the Children. As a self-taught programmer, he combined operational insight with technical expertise, recognising that software projects often struggled not because Africa lacked talent, but because the development process itself was unnecessarily complex.

Together with his brother and co-founder, Lamek Mambo, he set out to change that.

FasterDev is simplifying how software is built

Originally developed under the umbrella of Mambo Software, FasterDev began as an internal development tool designed to automate repetitive and error-prone aspects of software engineering.

As the platform matured, its potential became increasingly clear. Rather than serving only one company, FasterDev evolved into a standalone software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that could support developers, technology companies and growing businesses across Africa.

Today, the platform enables organisations to build and deploy software more efficiently while reducing development costs and delivery timelines.

Its solutions support accounting and financial reporting systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms for institutions such as schools and SACCOs, and business management software tailored to the needs of African small and medium-sized enterprises.

By reducing technical complexity, FasterDev allows developers to focus more on innovation while helping businesses access locally relevant software without relying on costly imported systems.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation helped strengthen Hannington Mambo’s vision

Building innovative technology requires more than technical expertise. It also requires access to capital, business support and an entrepreneurial ecosystem that encourages growth.

Em 2018, Hannington Mambo was selected for the Programa de Empreendedorismo da Fundação Tony Elumelu, receiving US$5,000 in seed capital, business training, mentorship and access to the Foundation’s pan-African entrepreneurial network.

The support helped strengthen FasterDev’s business structure, increase its visibility and position the company for sustainable growth as it transitioned from an internal development tool into a commercial platform serving businesses across Africa.

For Hannington, the programme reinforced a belief that continues to shape FasterDev’s mission: Africa’s challenges are best solved by entrepreneurs building solutions for the continent.

Why Hannington Mambo’s work matters

Africa’s digital economy continues to expand rapidly, but software development remains a significant barrier for many businesses seeking to modernise their operations.

By making software development faster and more accessible, FasterDev is helping lower that barrier.

The company has created skilled employment opportunities for software developers, technical leaders and executive professionals, contributing to Kenya’s growing technology ecosystem while supporting continued product innovation through its recurring software-as-a-service revenue model.

Its impact extends beyond employment. Businesses across Africa can now access software designed with local operating conditions in mind, avoiding the high costs and lengthy implementation periods often associated with imported enterprise solutions.

FasterDev has also expanded its reach through SME networks, developer communities and connections within the Tony Elumelu Foundation alumni network, strengthening collaboration across Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Today, the company is led by Amadou Chico Sissoko, its angel investor and Chief Executive Officer, reflecting a founder-investor partnership built on trust, shared purpose and long-term commitment. Hannington continues to shape the company’s strategic direction alongside his brother, whose technical leadership has been instrumental in FasterDev’s evolution.

Building Africa’s digital future from within

For Hannington, FasterDev represents more than a software platform.

It is part of a broader vision to ensure African businesses can build world-class technology without depending on imported systems or expensive development processes.

As the company continues to grow, it aims to become the platform of choice for developers and businesses seeking to build software faster, more efficiently and at lower cost across the continent.

Africa’s digital future will depend not only on the number of technology companies it creates but also on the quality of the tools those companies use to innovate.

Hannington Mambo believes those tools should be built in Africa, for Africa.

Through FasterDev, he is proving that simplifying software development can unlock new opportunities for businesses, strengthen local innovation and empower the next generation of African technology entrepreneurs—one line of code at a time.