Non-technical people looking to get into tech are people with little or no-code skills but possess relevant skills the tech industry needs. They usually possess skills such as product marketing, product management, project management, customer operations, data analytics, business analytics, product design, operations management, content marketing e.t.c
If you are one of them, you are right to want to enter the tech industry because the industry pays more. This is not to say that other reasons like passion are not valid.
Since 2019, Africa’s tech ecosystem has been gaining massive attention from global investors, which translated to an estimated $2 billion going into African tech startups that same year.
With most of the investments going into Nigerian tech startups, this is a good reason why you should keep your eyes on startups in Nigeria.
Africa’s digital economy is expected to hit $712 Billion by 2050 according to a report by Endeavor Nigeria. For you, this means a higher chance of getting a job due to increased job creation coming from tech startup growth. It also means improved potential job security and benefits for you based on the external factor of being in a flourishing industry.
While trying to get into the tech industry appears to be a smart career move, getting into the industry isn’t hurdle-free. You need the right information, from the right people who can point you to or create the opportunity that will ease your entry.
This is where the need for community comes in. Tech communities are bridging the gap from where you are to the tech industry that you want to be in. They are helping you to walk you through the journey of getting into tech and staying in it successfully.
Tech communities are filled with people like you, with more or less of the same interests, problems and experiences. Being led by people who have the kind of results you want. Let’s see some of the resourceful active tech communities in Africa.
Tech Communities in Africa Helping Non-Technical People Get into Tech
Content creators hoping to one day create content for tech companies gather here. ConTech Africa is a community for African creators who are keen on connecting, growing and discovering where their talents fit in today’s tech world.
This community was founded by Daniel Orubo, who currently leads the content team at PiggyVest, one of Africa’s leading fintechs and Ope Adedeji, a Miles Morland Scholar in charge of Big Cabal Media’s publications, including TechCabal, arguably the most-read African tech publication, as Editorial Director.
They are both championing ConTech Africa on a two-prong mission of building global recognition for African creators and equipping African creators to help them thrive in the tech landscape.
ConTech Africa primarily engages community members on a Slack group that has a product channel for product-related roles and a marketing channel for marketing-related roles. It currently boasts at least 2,000 community members.
ConTech Africa activities include:
- A monthly interactive learning session where ConTech Africa invites industry experts to share growth tips with the community. The content for every session eventually becomes available as a podcast on the community’s podcast channel.
- Giving community members voluntary tasks to aid their growth. An example of this is a portfolio-building challenge.
- Providing opportunities for members to contribute to the growth of the community as volunteer workers or showcasing their knowledge through blog post contributions as well as other community development roles that may arise.
- Organised meetups (in pairs) to drive connections.
- Community members spotlight.
Benefits of joining this community:
- Access to free/discounted courses, learning and experience-building opportunities.
- Scholarships for active members to attend Bootcamps.
- Networking with other tech enthusiasts.
- Updates on job opportunities.
- Free/discounted CV reviews.
Join ConTech Africa.
GIT Africa manages a community of beginners, intermediate talents and working professionals with relevant tech skills to collaboratively build their careers in the tech industry.
GIT Africa was founded in January 2023 as a subsidiary of TechSesmester (a learning platform) with the vision of creating a more inclusive and diverse tech industry.
Arinze Onyeasigbelum and Maxwell Odunayo, the Co-founders are on a mission to provide access to technology education and resources, a supportive community, and that will equip 100,000 Africans in the next 5 years with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the tech industry.
It’s an active community friendly to non-technical tech enthusiasts. It also accommodates both technical and technical people who are trying to establish themselves in the tech industry.
GIT recently launched a tech platform called Talnts App. This App is a one-stop shop for learning, growing, and achieving your tech career dreams right here in Africa. This platform is both a learning platform and a marketplace for tech experts looking to sell their knowledge.
Get Into Tech Africa activities include:
- Tech-Tips: a weekly session of sharing tech tips on a particular tech skill, which keeps community members engaged via bit-sized educational content.
- Hangouts: an online monthly session for members to bond and form connections with like-minds while they learn from invited guests who are industry professionals.
- Community member spotlight.
- Bootcamp training.
Benefits of joining this community:
- Connecting with other community members.
- Job opportunities and internship updates.
- Access to learning resources.
The primary community platform for GIT Africa is WhatsApp where it has over 5 different groups you can join to become part of the community.
This community was formed because the founder realised the need for Non-technical people like herself to connect and have friends with whom they could bounce ideas off and grow together within the tech industry.
The founder, Peace Obinani is a product marketing manager at Piggyvest and she is on a mission to build the biggest community of non-techies in Africa. She is also the co-host of the no-code summit, an annual event for non-technical people in the tech industry.
While this community was primarily built for non-techies already in the tech industry, people who are looking to get into the tech world are not denied entry and are able to thrive there.
It is said that experience is the best teacher but it doesn’t have to be yours. NonTech in Tech is a good place to connect and learn from those who understand the industry better than you.
NonTech in Tech activities include:
- A No-code summit annual event where you can meet industry leaders, learn from panel sessions and masterclasses, hear career stories and of course network.
- Gee’s Connect: It’s practically a hangout full of energy, with games and fun activities lined up while the progress of the community is discussed.
Benefits of joining this community:
- The community has formed a positive relationship with learning & community platforms like Treford, Revwit & Propel to help foster member’s growth.
- Growth resources, a weekly recap via email and job opportunities updates.
- Freebies, discounts and scholarships.
The community is most active on Twitter where it has over 5 thousand followers.
It would almost be unfair not to mention arguably the most impactful tech community in Africa. Ingressive for Good (I4G) is a powerhouse on a mission to increase the earning power of African youths by empowering them with tech skills in many ways including through community.
This non-profit organisation co-founded by Maya Famodu, Sean Burrowes and Blessing Abeng, seeks the growth of the African continent, one tech talent at a time.
Their mission to empower one million youths with tech skills and connect trained talents to 5,000 jobs has made so much progress. Over 150 thousand people have been trained with over 2000 people placed in jobs already.
I4G boasts an impressive community population of more than 250 thousand members. Members of their telegram group, their most engaging community platform, can testify to the high level of interactions that happens on the group, almost every day.
I4G has two community expression:
I4G Circle: It exclusively caters for outspoken and influential students in universities across Africa passionate about tech and leveraging it to create value.
I4G Network: This is I4G’s all-inclusive community that caters for every interested tech enthusiast.
Ingressive for Good activities include:
- Hackfest: an annual Hackathon done for the purpose of driving sustainable innovations that address pressing real-life problems.
- Bootcamps for soft skill development mostly anchored by community managers
- Webinars which include a job accelerator series, orientation classes, office hours and scholarship webinar. They are usually anchored by I4G’s alumni and partners.
- Personal development events & graduation ceremonies.
Benefits of joining this community:
- Job & internship placements and job opportunity updates.
- Scholarships and eligibility-based laptop giveaways.
- Building connections and making friends.
- Free learning programs and resources.
Click here to register and become a community member.
This is a more niched-down community of tech industry enthusiasts that specifically addresses marketers. It is a non-profit community supporting Tech Marketers in Africa.
The founder of this community, Feranmi Okafor and her team are on a mission to build the largest community of tech marketers in Africa. It currently has over one thousand members.
TMH is helping individuals who are looking to transition into or start a career in tech marketing. If you are a marketer this could be the community you need.
Tech Marketers Hub activities include:
- Mentor a Marketer program: helping newbie marketers gain knowledge and grow in their careers with help from experts in the tech marketing industry.
- Back to Basics: a monthly Twitter space session where tech marketing professional address foundation topics
- Masterclass for advanced learning.
- Community member spotlight.
Benefits of joining this community:
- Free learning resources.
- Job opportunity updates.
- Scholarships.
- Mentorships.
Click here to join TMH on Slack.
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