African tech media is growing up

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This week we have a big Tech Safari announcement.

The very talented Adrian Ephraim is joining the Tech Safari Crew.

With almost more experience than years I’ve been alive 😉 Adrian is building our foundation to ideate — and tell Africa’s untold stories for a global audience.

Make him feel welcome on the Safari here.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s edition.

A week ago, well-known writer and investor Jasiel Martin-Odoom clashed with tech heavyweight Paul Graham on X.

The beef? Jasiel took issue with Paul G’s belief that language is only valid in its simplest form.

And that the kind of complex language used in former colonies in Africa is somehow less worthy.

Paul G shamed the word “delve”, commonly used in Nigeria, to make his point.

This is where things got interesting - and entertaining.

Jasiel responded that a limited vocabulary creates a distorted and diluted worldview.

To which Paul G hit back by calling Jasiel a “midwit”.

While there’s a case for simple language (something we hold dear at Tech Safari) let’s stop scrolling for a second to think about what this X clash means for African stories:

• How we write informs and shapes opinions.

• As Africans, we need to own our narrative.

• We should tell stories in our own words.

So, when stories are formed with specific vocabularies, it matters.

The continent’s stories are being written about daily by tech heavyweights in Silicon Valley.

But we need to own them and talk about our own realities.

Jasiel stepping up to Paul G is more than just delving into simple language.

It's also a point about Africa owning its narrative.

And when it comes to African tech media, it’s starting to take on a new form.

10 years ago, African tech media didn’t exist

In the early days of tech in Africa, there was virtually no media.

Tech founders in Africa had no one to talk to. No one to really tell their story.

Back then Disrupt Africa in Nigeria and memeburn.com in South Africa were among a handful of tech publications on the continent.

Writer and entrepreneur Andile Masuku (African Tech Roundup) and the late Matthew Buckland (Founder of memeburn.com) also blazed a trail for tech media in South Africa in those early days.

In Nigeria, things changed in 2013 when Bankole Oluwafemi followed his interest in tech and started blogging from his Nokia E63.

He spent all his time in the Yaba district in Lagos (the heart of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem back then) where he wrote gadget reviews for a publication called Techloy.

But Bankole grew tired of writing reviews of gadgets that would take six months to get to Africa.

He wanted to do a better form of tech journalism.

So he teamed up with co-founder Seyi Taylor in 2013, to start TechCabal.

TechCabal walked the journey with founders and investors and earned a reputation for being an ecosystem builder in the process.

For example, PayStack first announced themselves on Radar, a TechCabal forum for Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.

Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of Big Cabal Media, publishers of TechCabal, has seen the evolution of tech media on the continent first-hand.

He’s responsible for growing TechCabal into a globally recognised tech publication, telling the most important tech stories in Africa.

Tomiwa says, “There was important coverage of the ecosystem in the early days. Like the Konga vs Jumia battle, and that first wave of e-commerce: are they burning too much capital? We did early coverage of iROKOtv and their first raise. We did important coverage of a different time in the ecosystem.”

Soon after Bankole, Benjamin Dada started writing about tech on the continent.

He started #finWithBen on Twitter in 2016, to teach young Africans about finance concepts, while pursuing a career in the field.

Both Bankole and Benjamin could relate to the cycle of trial, error and disappointment experienced by founders.

And they wrote stories from a unique perspective.

But as the African tech ecosystem grew in 2017 and 2018, and global media players entered the market, it was clear ...

African tech media needed to grow up

And so it did.

African media houses have played a vital role in telling Africa’s tech story.

Globally, publications like TechCrunch started covering African tech.

While locally, TechCabal covered tech news on the continent that was picked up by audiences around the world.

TechCrunch, TechCabal and Benjamin Dada have helped build the African tech ecosystem - getting our wins and failures out there for global investors to see.

But lately, we’ve seen African tech media come under fire for focusing too much on layoffs and raises.

Because some success stories don’t fit neatly within a raise. And failures aren't defined by layoffs.

The ecosystem was maturing and it demanded more from African tech media.

More stories, more nuance and deeper insights.

And on cue, a new class of creators has emerged

This new crop of creators is obsessed with going deeper, contextualizing Africa and trying to raise an ecosystem through the power of media.

These media entrepreneurs have created another layer of tech media in Africa on top of the trailblazers.

They’re born out of the startup ecosystem and have found creative ways to tell stories.

They’ve also learned from the lessons of big media:

• Find your unique voice

• Earn the trust of your audience

• Stay focused on the mission

These media founders have embraced new platforms and are creating content that is:

• Insightful and data-driven

• Focused on large global audiences or specific local audiences

• Going deeper than the headlines

Meet Africa’s new wave of creators

One important voice is a marketer and entrepreneur.

Peace Itimi connects to the founder's story.

On her YouTube channel, Founders Connect, Peace speaks to founders and CEOs about their experience of the African tech ecosystem.

Peace is an important voice in African tech. And there are others …

Caleb Maru goes behind the headlines.

The writer and investor’s passion for telling the story of African startups is why he founded Tech Safari. Caleb’s popular LinkedIn account and high-quality weekly newsletter provide unique insights and analysis of the African tech ecosystem.

Justin Norman dives deep into trends.

Justin is the Founder and Host of The Flip Africa, a podcast and weekly newsletter that delivers deep analysis of the startup ecosystem.

Emeka Ajene uplifts business innovators.

He’s the Founder and Publisher of Afridigest and one of the continent’s most influential tech voices. Emeka’s newsletter brings his audience closer to the work of Africa’s most innovative business thinkers with his insights, ideas and analysis.

Fatu Ogwuche tells the backstory.

Fatu delves 🙂 into founders’ lives to learn what inspires them and what the ecosystem can learn from them. Her popular Big Tech This Week YouTube channel is an example of founder-led media hitting the right notes in the tech ecosystem.

Jasiel Martin-Odoom guides entrepreneurs.

Jasiel is a writer and investor in African tech, based in Nairobi, Kenya. His bi-weekly newsletter offers tips and insights to his engaged community of entrepreneurs.

African tech media has come a long way in the last 10 years.

Pioneers like Tech Crunch, TechCabal, AfriDigest and others have held doors open for people like Peace, Fatu and Caleb to walk in.

And they’ve arrived at the right time - helping the world better understand the African tech narrative.

Like Jasiel says, “If we don’t publish our thoughts, we’re at the mercy of a world shaped by others’ ideas.”

What do you think about the new ‘wave’ of African tech media? And which of these creators are you following?

Hit us up here and let us know.

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