Chimgozirim Nwokoma, Techpoint Africa
This week, we interview Chimgozirim Nwokoma, a Senior Reporter, Startups at Techpoint Africa. Chimgozirim shares insights on his journalism journey and perspectives on the African tech and business landscape. Chimgozirim also shares insights in regard to his writing motivations before sharing his thoughts on how we can encourage more writers in the field. Enjoy the read.
What led you into journalism, and what would you be doing if you weren’t a journalist?
How I got into journalism is a bit of a long story. I wanted to be a broadcast journalist growing up. That was the most common journalism I knew then and I’m not sure I knew what they did was called journalism.
I lost my interest along the line and studied History and International Studies. Fast forward to 2020. I’m reading Techpoint Africa like I had done for almost two years prior and I see an article about an internship opening.
I had applied for the first one in 2019, I think and didn’t get in, so I applied again. The rest they say is history.
If I wasn’t a journalist, I’d probably be a management consultant. I enjoy solving problems. Or I’d be selling vehicle spare parts like my fellow Igbo men.
When you’re researching stories, what compels you to work on sharing a particular story with your audience? Any hot trends we should look out for in the coming months?
This is not good practice, but here goes. If a story doesn’t excite me, I’m not very motivated to write about it.
Beyond that, identifying information that isn’t public and could have a major impact does that for me. I enjoy connecting patterns too.
On trends, I guess this is where I say more AI applications but I can’t identify any special trends. It appears most startups are more interested in staying alive. Ask me in December and I might have a different answer.
Why is African business so unique and what makes it so exciting to report on?
Being an African can feel like walking through a maze and that extends to the business environment.
One minute you’re rolling out an exciting product and the next day your operational costs have tripled because the currency was devalued. That’s nerve wracking for even the bravest people.
The prospect of what could be makes reporting on African business exciting. We’re literally starting from scratch and I suspect that hope is what drives people to launch businesses in hostile environments.
Could there be a day when we see a tech business large enough to employ 100,000 people? Can we cut infant mortality rates in half using tech? That’s exciting.
Which sectors or industries do you like to cover most and why?
I don’t have a preference or do I? Most businesses in the tech space where I ply my trade are in fintech, so naturally I’m covering more fintechs.
I’m excited about what tech could do for entertainment and sports.
I recently discovered a startup’s building a discovery tool for African sports talent. It’s a brilliant idea that I would build or even fund even if I think the way they’re thinking about the product would yield little results.
I’m also interested in how we can improve access to credit, first for businesses and then for individuals. Businesses first because they can have an outsized impact on national economies.
Why is it important that people around the world get to hear about young, growing companies on the continent?
Hope, man. Hope. Africa’s population is youthful but we’re also living with governments that seem determined to keep the continent on its knees. That has left many feeling helpless. The migration stories are proof.
Seeing people succeed and thrive in spite of all this can often feel like getting some water after walking hours in the desert. Some people would be delusional enough to think they can replicate those successes and a few of them would succeed.
How can we encourage more people to join the writing community and dedicate their energy to telling stories about African tech and business?
Pay well. I’m kidding but not really. A lot of people start out telling these stories and jump ship a few years later.
One reason is better pay and the other is wondering whether the stories you tell make an impact. More young people want their work to matter and journalism is one of those professions where you’re more likely to get criticism than praise.
So I guess, amplifying the impact of these stories helps.
If you find that you raised money because an investor read about you on Techpoint Africa, you could tweet about it or send a note to the journalist. You might just make our day.
