True to her calling of “documenting the Nigerian tech ecosystem”, Peace Itimi premiered a new video on YouTube documentary last week. The new project titled Innovating Africa Documentary: The Rise of Tech in Nigeria tells the story of the rapid rise of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem over the past 15 years through the eyes of over 50 notable players in the space.
According to an announcement post, the documentary tells the story of “passionate founders who took huge risks to push boundaries, investors who backed founders they believed in and see how their determination changed the landscape.”
Read also: How Peace Itimi grew a platform to tell African tech stories to almost 25,000 subscribers
Just a brief about how her journey. Peace started a YouTube channel in December 2018 where she initially shared marketing tips and random lessons about life. Later, she launched a now-popular segment called Founders Connect, where she interviewed about 40 African founders, including Odun Eweniyi of Piggyvest, Atsu Davoh of Bitsika, and Ezra Olubi of Paystack.
The show has gone on to become a physical event where founders meet to discuss ideas, network and collaborate. Peace organised the first edition of Founders’ Connect Live in Lagos in July 2023.
This was followed by a second edition in London a few months later.
After a series of one-on-one interview sessions with founders, Peace realised that there was the absence of a single coherent story about the Nigerian tech ecosystem. Hence, the a need to investigate the journey of transformation from the lens of many players.
In a chat with Technext, Peace shares details about the project, the challenges faced, learning points and how the documentary highlights her passion for telling the African tech story.
How Peace Itimi conceived the documentary idea
Like most random ideas that turn out to be groundbreaking, Peace Itimi conceived and nurtured the project thought alone. “The first time that I tweeted or talked about the idea was in October 2021. Then, she started seeking out early collaborators. “I sent the pitch to Joyce Imiegha and her team the same month and in November respectively.”
From researching and scripting in April to May of the following year, Peace started reaching out to people who could tell the tech evolution story about one month later. Then, the shooting dates were scheduled for sometime in the year.
What began as began as a spark became a project that will span over two years of a rollercoaster of events and experiences.
“It took about 2 years to finish everything and that is because there were long months between the production and post-production”, she explained. This accounts importantly for a hiatus between August and December 2022 when she “didn’t touch the documentary” because of “personal stuff” that demanded her attention.
What is unique about the Innovating Africa Documentary is what it stands for. The project represents an observer’s quest to understand the complete view of the Nigerian tech ecosystem and document its opportunities, challenges, wins, losses and thought processes of the most significant players in a way that anyone can understand.
Peace Itimi asked questions and she got answers. And, these answers will certainly be a reference for curious seekers in the future.
Deep takes by actual players
The over an hour video spotlights pioneering leaders, their innovative startups and the supportive infrastructure that they have leveraged to build an ecosystem that has impacted the continent.
These include Bosun Tijani, founder of CCHub and now Nigeria’s minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Funke Opeke, founder/CEO, of MainOne, Gbenga Agboola, founder/CEO of Flutterwave, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Co-founder, Andela and Fluttewave, Tayo Oviosu, founder, Paga, Odunayo Eweniyi, co-founder of Piggyvest and ‘Tomi Davies, founder TVC Labs.
It explores the early days from the viewpoint of founders like Tayo Oviosu who noted “When I started Page in 2009, there was no tech ecosystem at all”. This was echoed by other founders like Jason Njoku of Irokotv, Kola Aina and Adia Sowho of MTN.
Yomi Adedeji of Softcom corroborates the narrative:
“Many of the roles we know today didn’t even exist then. There was no identity infrastructure, which is pretty much the foundation of doing business on the internet. The available payment infrastructure was limiting. But, at the inception, it was exciting…”
The documentary is dynamic because it details the experience of non-traditionally recognised tech blazers like filmmaker and TV producer, Femi Odugbemi about the transformation of the Nigerian tech ecosystem and its transformative impact on other sectors.
It ends on a memorable note as the interviewees describe their experience of the space in one word. And, each word encapsulates their personal experiences and gains plus expectations for the coming years in one breath. The thoughts are succinctly summarised by Olumide Soyombo of Bluechip Technologies Ltd:
“I would say that it is day because we just getting started.”
You can stream the entire video below:
Challenges and learning points
Offhand, the most notable for Peace is the challenge of scheduling the interviewees. “Many people said yes, but for some, schedules clashed, and they couldn’t make it”, she penned on LinkedIn.
In the end, this impacted the sort of perfection she had imagined but it wasn’t enough to affect the quality of the output. “Although I couldn’t get to feature everyone that I wanted I focused on what was available to me to make the story central and very understandable.”
“A few people said, ‘Oh Peace, I won’t make it down to Lagos, but I can do London,’ so I had to get a new crew and a studio for a 2-day shoot in London”, she adds.
And, these came with their financial implications as the project was completely self-funded.
“I had to pay down to the last invoice for post-production items like sound and colouring. We had shoots in 2 different countries and I had to take flights both ways. I had to also pay for studios and gadgets for shoots in both locations”, Peace said.
“If I knew how much time, stress, and money the documentary would cost me, I most likely would not have done it,” she told the Guardian in an interview. “It became a significant financial drain, but I was determined to finish what I started”, she concludes.
The major learning point for Peace is the market reception of quality work. She recalls 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. And, the feedback following the streaming on YouTube is more encouraging.
“I have seen positive comments everywhere and my inbox is full of positive reviews. It shows how much people appreciate when you do quality work even as an individual. A good story always sells. People appreciate it when you put out good works”, she adds.
What is next?
As Peace basks in the euphoria of the project’s success, she acknowledges that it has taken a lot from her. Hence, her first point of call is to rest. “First, I think that I need to rest”, she says.
Then, she recognises that this will be the start of similar storytelling projects that will deepen the scope of what she has started. “I think that this will spur more people to tell their own stories properly. The African tech story needs to be told and has to be told by us,” she adds.
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