The evolution of Africa’s tech ecosystem, particularly in Nigeria, is a testament to the region’s innovation, resilience and unwavering spirit among its entrepreneurs.
Over the past two decades, Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has gone through a transformational journey, evolving from an invisible status to a bustling hub of innovation, attracting global attention and investment.
This growth has been driven by pioneering leaders, innovative startups and a supporting infrastructure that has collectively impacted the continent and beyond.
Visionaries like the founder/CEO of MainOne Funke Opeke, which transformed the West African telecommunications industry. CCHUB’s Bosun Tijaninow Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of Nigeria, founder/CEO of Flutterwave Gbenga Agboola; and others are committed to the development of Nigeria’s technology sector. Along with successful companies like Interswitch, Flutterwave, Andela, and Paystackthese entrepreneurs have leveraged technology to solve local problems with global impact, leaving a lasting legacy.
However, as the ecosystem evolves rapidly, newcomers have a limited understanding of the key historical events and factors that have contributed to its development over time. This knowledge gap stems from insufficient documentation of past events and their impact on the ecosystem. It is on this basis that Irini Itimihis host Founders Connect, attempts to bridge this gap through the documentary Innovating Africa. According to her, the film conveys the cumulative development of the ecosystem holistically, offering timely insight.
“After interviewing a few founders at Founders Connect, I started to see patterns and feel like there was a bigger story.”
Irini Itimi
Digging deeper
For Irene, the documentary arose out of the realization that there was no single, coherent story about the Nigerian tech ecosystem and the need to explore the journey of transformation that had fascinated her since her initial foray into the industry.
To achieve this, he interviewed more than 20 pioneers such as Jason Njoku, Tomi Davies, Olumide Soyombo, Odun Eweniyi, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, and Cola Aina among others, who shared experiences from the early days and evolution of the ecosystem.
Uniting the team
Although Peace and the Founders Connect team were familiar with uploading videos to YouTube, creating a documentary was a whole different ball game. Telling a story of this magnitude required a comprehensive team of skilled personnel.
According to her, she needed to bring the best hands to the table and people she trusted could understand the vision and have the expertise to execute it.
Gathering the group, he 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. He was the first person I contacted, mainly because, at the time, he had just released the trailer for the Baby Blues documentary.”
Irini Itimi
Joyce recalls being in awe of Peace’s bold idea in the midst of 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, being a big fan of Irene’s work. “I was very happy to come on board,” she says.
However, what started as a bright idea was only the beginning of a rollercoaster of unplanned events, resources and timelines that they never imagined would last more than two years. Irini describes this period as witnessing time gaps due to not finding rhythm and excitement at some points, reconciling disconnected stories, low responses to support requests and more.
“There were many times when I felt mentally blocked, unsure of how to proceed», she says.
“We reached a point where it became clear that our current approach was not producing results and it took some time to regroup and regain our momentum.” – Irini Etimi
Addressing the challenges of documentary production
And then came the funding, which, of course, was the main resource needed to carry out the project. Misunderstanding the financial implications of producing a documentary of this nature, Peace used a grant from an anonymous benefactor for a separate endeavor.
He explains it succinctly.
“If I had known how much time, stress and money the documentary would cost me, I probably wouldn’t have done it,” he says. “I greatly underestimated the effort required. The start-up funds ran out quickly, forcing me to self-fund three times that initial amount just to get it done. It took a significant financial toll, but I was determined to finish what I started.”
Irini Itimi
Just like taking your first driving lessons, many firsts come with their frustrations and struggles. this was the same for Irene and her team. He even remembers that there were times when he felt like giving up on the idea and giving up.
“Every time I stopped from story to research to production, I just doubted that maybe this wouldn’t be very good.” – Irini Etimi.
Joyce recounts that there were times when they second-guessed the process, considering different strategies. This introspection, which led to self-criticism, was also fueled by multiple rejections. He reflected on their initial frustration, recalling several attempts to secure grants for the project and the subsequent lack of feedback, which proved disappointing. Additionally, there were days during production when the team was overwhelmed, exacerbating the challenges they 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 did not see the documentary. I was worried and waited outside the whole time. This is 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, everyone was like, this is amazing. It felt reassuring and we thought it was okay to put it out there for more people to see.“
Irini Itimi
Reflection on the trip: No regrets
Despite the rollercoaster of emotions and financial constraints, the team remained relentless. The drive to uncover this untold narrative of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has replaced 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.
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“It is the first time something like this has been done in Nigeria around this kind of story, ecosystem and people, with many of the people featured being able to show their impact. This is MVP.” – Irini Etimi
After completing the production phase of the documentary, Peace Itimi reflects on many lessons learned and revels in the undeniable joy the final product brought to her and her team. In addition, he emphasized that the transfer of stakeholders from the beginning of the project proved to be important to the outcome of the film.
Looking back
The success of the documentary is a testament to the collective persistence, dedication and commitment to documenting the stories behind Africa’s technological evolution. According to Peace, the documentary stands tall, not only as a project, but as a stepping stone for more complete narratives and future projects.
“Honestly, I have no regrets. Others may feel differently, but I would do it again, maybe differently, but still. It’s a story that needs to be told, a proof of work that needs to exist.” – Irini Etimi
For Joyce and Nora, pride in the project supersedes the challenges experienced while making the film.
“I don’t regret my ending. I think we did a great job with it, even though, between us, we feel like we could have done better. This MVP is very solid, especially since no one has done it before and it can only get better.“Joyce Imiga
“I dont regret,” Nora says. “This will push people to tell their own stories properly. The story had to be told and it had to be told by us“, she adds.
The documentary, Innovating Africa: The rise of technology in Nigeria officially premiered on YouTube on December 20, 2023. As Peace and her team feel euphoric about the amount of work that has been done, they recognize that it takes courage to pull off a project of this magnitude, recognizing it as the beginning of more to come. that come.
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