The tech community for creators in tech.
Issue #30
Communities: ConTech Africa
Greetings ET people 🖖🏾
In last week’s edition, we introduced the discussion on tech communities and what they can offer you, the aspiring or newbie techie. We also talked about the importance of support in setting off on this exciting and challenging new path.
This week, we’re delving deeper into this topic with a closer look at one community in particular: ConTech Africa. If you’re like us, a creator with little to no coding skills, wondering how to make it in the big bad world of tech, this edition on ConTech may help you find your way.
by Pamela Tetteh and Timi Odueso.
Tech trivia
Let’s try out a couple of riddles this week. And no, it’s not because we don’t have trivia. 🤫
- Why did the developer go broke?
- What’s a computer’s favourite snack?
What is ConTech Africa?
ConTech, a portmanteau of “Content” and “Tech”.
The first community we’ll spotlight is a personal favourite of mine: ConTech Africa, and yes, it’s because I’m a member—start your own newsletter if my favouritism bothers you. 🙏🏽
For Daniel Orubo, one of the founders of ConTech Africa and Head of Content at PiggyVest, the idea for ConTech Africa started with the numerous LinkedIn DMs he got. People wanted to know how or if they could make careers in content creation, or how they could make more money from their craft.
You have to understand: Daniel is one of the go-to people for content development on the continent. He worked at Zikoko long before the publication became the hottest thing since the Lagos sun; he was EIC at Parisian Gen-Z publication Konbini where he managed the creation of hundreds of articles and videos; and now, he leads the content strategy team at PiggyVest—a team he created—which produces comics, videos and articles that convert readers into users.
If you have a question about content, Daniel has the answer.
And it’s these answers that led to the creation of ConTech Africa, a community where African creators can connect, grow and discover where their talents fit in the tech landscape.
With questions drawing his attention to the dearth of resources for creators in Africa’s tech ecosystem, Daniel—and Ope Adedeji who is Editorial Director at Big Cabal Media—founded ConTech Africa in November 2022.
How ConTech works
-
Non-techies—Designers, Content Writers, and Product Managers/Owners
- 1,000
- Nil. Absolutely free
- Slack
In last week’s edition of #EnteringTech🚀, we explained the different offerings of tech communities and ConTech Africa’s is no different.
A. Community: ConTech Africa is a Slack-based community that provides creators with different channels to connect with one another. There are stand-alone channels for people learning product development/management, as well as for designers and marketers. And while it has a small but effective team—including David Onugha whose Slack messages I’ve aired twice😬—manning the community, most of the conversations in these channels are championed by community members who share their questions, learnings and experiences.
B: Scholarships: ConTech offers more than just the opportunity to connect with other creators. The community also offers its members opportunities to upskill themselves through scholarships. In May, it offered three community members scholarships to the Treford Marketing Bootcamp, and everyone else got a 20% discount. In April, two members got a scholarship for a UI Design Bootcamp, and a March partnership with CV Loft saw several members get full CV revamps!
C: Opportunities: ConTech has a dedicated Slack channel which is updated daily with job openings across the continent and globally. As a member, I’ve also seen job postings by other members who are hiring for positions in their companies.
D: ConTech Corner: In last week’s edition, I mentioned how ConTech hosted Daniel Abayomi, a product designer at Meta on a Twitter Space. Every month, ConTech hosts ConTech Corner, an hour-long monthly group mentoring session where experienced creators in tech chat about their careers and experiences. The upcoming edition of ConTech Corner, scheduled for this Friday, will have Victor Fatanmi, the co-founder of design consultancy firm Fourth Canvas.
E: Contribute: Members of ConTech Africa get to do more than just learn—they also contribute to the growth of the creator-in-tech sector. For example, ConTech is presently working on a No-Code Salary Tool and Report which will help earners and employers in the tech ecosystem understand what the fair range for compensation is.
Who’s in ConTech?
ConTech recently admitted its 1,000th member, and it’s growing pretty fast. Here’s what some are saying about ConTech:
The great thing is that ConTech is free to join and it’s accepting new members all year through. And I know this piece has been a little bit sales-y, but it’s critical to underscore how important communities are in building careers, especially in tech. So if you like what you see, and you’re a creator looking to get into tech, then ConTech is for you.
The Entering Tech Shorts
Can you become a product designer using just Canva? Here’s what Cynthia Ugwudike, a product designer at Norebase, has to say!
Ask a techie
Q. AI am an accountant and I love being one. What tech skill will go hand in hand with it? Also, I’d like a skill that does not have to do with building websites.
Great question. We did some reading and it looks like data science may be the way to go for you. There are transferable skills from accounting that you can use in data science.
The Qwasar blog says: “For the tech industry, you already have experience working with data from the accounting side, including analysing it and interpreting it through accounting software. Many accountants already have a foundational set of technical skills including Excel programming with Macros, pivot tables, etc. The skills used to create advanced spreadsheets with inner workings of functions and algorithms are technical in nature and would transition well into technical roles. This prepares you for the other side of data from the technology end where you will manipulate and utilise that data in new ways. “
Q. I’ve always had interest in tech but I’m so confused as to how to go about it. Please, where should I start from? Which communities should I become part of?
Welcome to the fray! You should start with #EnteringTech🚀. We’ve written about 30 editions now on different tech careers and what you should know about each of them. Read what we’ve written on no-code tech jobs, technical writing, design and more and it’ll help you figure out what you want to do.
After deciding on a path/career, you’ll know which communities to join. If you’re a creator, then ConTech is for you. If you’re looking to join data, then DataFestAfrica is the way to go for you. Hope it helps.
That’s all we can take this week. Have any questions about working in tech? Ask away and we’ll find answers for you.👇🏾
Here’s where to find your first tech job
If you’re interested in kicking off your career in tech, here’s a list of job boards that regularly upload their platform with African tech jobs.
Tech trivia answers
- Why did the developer go broke? Because he used up all his cache.
- What’s a computer’s favourite snack? Micro-Chips!
Jobs
- Kuda – Lead Product Manager – Credit – Nigeria (Remote)
- Datafin Recruitment – Senior Figma UI/UX Designer – Cape Town, South Africa (Remote)
- SUMMIT Africa Recruitment Pty (Ltd) – Junior Software Developer – Cape Town, South Africa (On-site)
- Headhunters – Junior UI/UX Designer – Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa (On-site)
- M-KOPA – Senior Analytics Engineer – Accra, Ghana (Remote)
- Ilara Health – Senior Software Engineer – Nairobi, Kenya (On-site)
- KOKO Networks – Senior Technology Product Manager: KOKO Labs – Kenya (Hybrid)
- ENGIE Energy Access (Africa) – Uganda Customer Finance Data Analyst – Kampala, Uganda (On-site)
- Tony Blair Institute for Global Change – Digital Transformation Advisor – Accra, Ghana (Hybrid)
- Think-it – Senior Software Engineer (Full-stack) – Lagos, Nigeria (Remote)
- IO Global – Product Manager – Africa Ops – Kenya (Remote)
- Zappi – Backend Engineer – Ruby on Rails – Cape Town, South Africa (Remote)
- Hire Resolve – Senior Traffic Engineer – Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (Not specified)
- Ushahidi – Senior Software Engineer – Kenya (Remote)
- Dangote Group – IT Technical Support – Edo, Nigeria (on-site)
- The Tonic Technologies LTD – SEO Content Writer – Lagos, Nigeria (Remote)
There are more jobs on TechCabal’s job board.
Disclaimer: TechCabal is not affiliated with or associated with jobs and opportunities listed on all its job boards and newsletters. All applicants bear the responsibility of researching about the roles and companies they apply to.
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