The evolution of Africa’s tech ecosystem, particularly in Nigeria, has been a testament to the region’s innovation, resilience, and unwavering spirit among its entrepreneurs.
Over the past two decades, Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has undergone a transformative journey, evolving from a non-visible state to a bustling hub of innovation, drawing global attention and investments.
This growth has been driven by pioneering leaders, innovative startups, and a supportive infrastructure that has collectively impacted the continent and beyond.
Visionaries like MainOne’s founder/CEO Funke Opeke, who transformed West Africa’s telecom industry; CcHUB’s Bosun Tijani, now Nigeria’s minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Flutterwave’s founder/CEO Gbenga Agboola; and others have committed to growing Nigeria’s tech sector. Along with successful companies like Interswitch, Flutterwave, Andela, and Paystack, these entrepreneurs have leveraged technology to solve local problems with global impact, leaving an enduring legacy.
However, as the ecosystem rapidly evolves, new entrants have a limited understanding of key historical events and contributors that have contributed to its development over time. This knowledge gap stems from inadequate documentation of earlier events and their impact on the ecosystem. It is on this basis that Peace Itimi, the host of Founders Connect, attempts to bridge this gap through the Innovating Africa documentary. According to her, the film conveys the ecosystem’s cumulative growth holistically, offering timely insight.
“After interviewing a couple of founders on Founders Connect, I just started seeing patterns and feeling like there was a bigger story.” – Peace Itimi
For Peace, the documentary resulted from the realisation that there was no single, coherent story about the Nigerian tech ecosystem and the need to investigate the journey of transformation that had fascinated her since her initial foray into the industry. To achieve this, she interviewed over 20 pioneers, like Jason Njoku, Tomi Davies, Olumide Soyombo, Odun Eweniyi, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, and Kola Aina among others, who shared experiences on the ecosystem’s early days and evolution.
Putting the team together
Although Peace and her Founders Connect team had familiarised themselves with shooting YouTube videos, making a documentary was a different ball game entirely. Telling a story of this magnitude needed a comprehensive team of skilled personnel. According to her, she needed to bring the best hands on the board, and people she trusted could understand the vision and have the expertise to execute it.
In assembling the team, she says, “After I told Joyce, who was probably the first person I told about the idea, I started thinking about people who could help me bring it to life outside of Joyce. For filming, Nora Awolowo came to mind first. She was the first person I reached out to, mostly because, at the time, she had just put out her Baby Blues documentary trailer.” – Peace Itimi
Joyce recalls being awed by Peace’s bold idea amid their ongoing Founders Connect journey. Her desire for a more cohesive story about the ecosystem was the motivation she needed to join the team. When Nora was approached with the idea, she was receptive to it, having been a keen admirer of Peace’s work. “I was very happy to come on the board,” she says.
However, what began as a brilliant idea was just the beginning of a rollercoaster of unplanned events, resources, and timelines they never imagined would span over two years. Peace details this period as witnessing time gaps due to not finding rhythm and enthusiasm at some points, reconciling disjointed stories, low responses to requests for support, and many more.
“There were many times I felt mentally blocked, unsure how to progress,” she says. “We reached a point where it became clear that our current approach wasn’t yielding results, and it took a while to regroup and regain our momentum.” – Peace Itimi
Dealing with the challenges of producing the documentary
And then came finance, which, of course, was the major resource needed to execute the project. Having not properly understood the financial implications of producing a documentary of this sort, Peace banked on a grant from an anonymous benefactor for a separate endeavour.
She explains this succinctly: “If I knew how much time, stress, and money the documentary would cost me, I most likely would not have done it,” she says. “I severely underestimated the effort required. The seed funds were quickly exhausted, forcing me to self-finance three times that initial amount just to see it through to completion. It became a significant financial drain, but I was determined to finish what I started.” – Peace Itimi
Just like taking your first driving lessons, many firsts come with their disappointments and struggles; this was the same for Peace and her team. She even recalls that there were times she felt like shelving the idea and giving up.
“Every time that I stalled from story to research to production, it was just me doubting that maybe this was not going to be quite good.” – Peace Itimi
Joyce recounts that there were moments when they second-guessed the process, considering different strategies. This introspection, which led to self-criticism, was prompted by multiple rejections, too. She reflected on their initial disappointment, recalling several attempts made to secure grants for the project and the subsequent absence of feedback, which proved to be disheartening. Additionally, there were days during the production when the team became overwhelmed, adding to the challenges faced.
However, Peace claims she later found solace in the positive responses she and her team received during the first private screening of the documentary in Lagos, from people who were invited to watch it.
“I remember during the screening in Lagos, I didn’t watch the documentary. I was anxious and waited outside the entire time. That’s probably the most anxious I’ve been in a long time. Because again, I just didn’t know if people would like it. So when we did the screening in Lagos, everybody was like, this is amazing. It felt reassuring, and we thought it was okay to put it out there for more people to see it.” – Peace Itimi
Reflecting on the journey: No regrets
Despite the rollercoaster of emotions and financial constraints, the team remained relentless. The drive to unveil this untold narrative of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem superseded monetary considerations. This unwavering commitment shone through moments of distress, bringing them to a realization—an acceptance of the project’s status as an MVP, a pioneering attempt at something previously unexplored.
“This is the first time something like this has been done in Nigeria around this kind of story, the ecosystem, and the individuals, with many of the people featured being able to show their impact. This is an MVP.” – Peace Itimi
Following the conclusion of the documentary’s production phase, Peace Itimi reflects on several lessons she learned and basks in the unquestionable joy the finished product has brought her and her team. Additionally, she emphasised that carrying stakeholders along from the project’s inception turned out to be significant for the outcome of the film.
The success of the documentary stands as evidence of the collective perseverance, dedication, and commitment to documenting the stories behind Africa’s tech evolution. According to Peace, the documentary stands tall, not just as a piece of work but as a stepping stone to more comprehensive narratives and future projects.
“Genuinely, I have no regrets. Others might feel differently, but I would do it again, maybe differently, but I would still do it. It’s a story that needs to be told, a proof of work that needs to be out there.” – Peace Itimi
For Joyce and Nora, the pride in the work supersedes the challenges experienced while making the film.
“No regrets on my end. I think we did a brilliant job with this, even though, between ourselves, we feel like we could have done it better. This MVP is a very solid one, especially because nobody has done this before and it can only get better.” Joyce Imiegha
“No regrets,” Nora says. “This will spur people to tell their own stories properly. The story had to be told and needed to be told by us,” she adds.
The documentary, Innovating Africa: The Rise of Tech in Nigeria was officially premiered on YouTube on December 20, 2023. As Peace and her team bask in the euphoria over the body of work that has been made, they acknowledge that it requires bravery to pull off a project of this magnitude, recognising it as the start of more things to come.
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