Aside from coding, here are 4 unique skills that will make Tech Founders and Innovators stand out in 2024

The tech ecosystem in Africa has experienced tremendous growth in size, in innovations, and the influx of new and young talents.

Astra Fellowship is a transformative leadership program designed specifically for young tech innovators and aspiring leaders. Led by the visionary tech entrepreneur, founder & CEO of Casava, Bode Pedro, is one of the initiatives promoting the tech ecosystem in Nigeria.

Astra Fellowship recently graduated 40 Fellows in 2023 who have completed its world-class leadership course to empower up-and-coming technology professionals for employability and business success.

This program is tailored to equip software engineers, technology professionals, and creatives with the essential skills to become exceptional leaders in their fields.

The graduation event featured a fireside chat session moderated by Uche Pedro, the founder of Bella Naija, with the founder of Kobo360, Obi Ozor.

During the session, Obi addresses the rise of founders and the fact that everyone wants to be a founder. He stressed that while being a founder is great, young fellows should endeavour to work with an organisation to grow, as being a founder is not fun. As a new tech innovator undergoing life, he added;

Being a founder is not that fun.  What is fun is for you to be a COO in an innovative company, which is the best career you could have. You get to do all the interesting things”

Obi Ozor highlighted 4 core skills a tech innovator should have.

➡️Sales: Ability to sell what you have built and close a deal.

➡️Professional Ethics: There are acceptable principles that govern your behaviour in the business world.

➡️Public Relations and Branding: Learn to distinguish yourself in the business world. You can achieve this through PR and branding.

➡️Customer service: Be part of your customer’s journey. Know them and work with them.

Bode Abifarin, the Chief Operating Officer of Flutterwave, who is also a guest speaker at the fire-chat session, stressed the need for young tech to give value in every capacity.

“Apart from coding, tech innovators should learn the business part of the tech business and enhance their leadership and communication skills.”

For Africa to build a solid foundation for the excellence of the tech ecosystem, Nigeria, which is the tech hub of Africa should produce quality tech innovators who will tell their unique and innovative stories that will put the Africa tech ecosystem on a global map and, this can be achieve when we consistently find a unique problem to solve.