Let’s talk about something nobody wants to say out loud: not every tech startup needs to raise money, chase valuation, or copy Lagos. Especially not in the Southeast and South-South of Nigeria.
In recent months, there’s been a noticeable uptick in startup activity across Asaba, Enugu, Uyo, and Owerri. More pitch decks are flying around, demo days are becoming trendy, and founders are declaring that they’re “the next Flutterwave — but for palm oil” or “Uber, but for motorcycles in rural Imo.” It’s ambitious. It’s passionate. But a lot of it? Is noise.
Here’s the hot take: The tech scene in the South is being pressured into performative innovation instead of purposeful building.
When Hype Overshadows Local Context
Every ecosystem has its rhythm. Lagos moves fast because it has to — cutthroat market, dense population, venture capital buzz. But if you try to replicate that same tempo in Calabar or Umuahia, you miss the point. What works in Lagos doesn’t automatically scale here, and pretending it does is both lazy and dangerous.
We’re seeing startups in the region pitching flashy apps with no real understanding of the local problems they claim to solve. Ideas funded by buzzwords rather than rooted in research. Incubators handing out T-shirts, not traction. Everyone’s chasing the “build fast, raise faster” model without asking: Does this even make sense here?
“Build what is needed, not what is trending.”
The South doesn’t need clones of Yaba startups. It needs contextual innovation. Products that make sense for Aba traders, Benin artisans, Nsukka students, and Bayelsa farmers.
Who Are We Building For?
Let’s call it what it is: Too many Southern founders are building for external validation, not local users.
They want to be featured in the same tech blogs, raise from the same VCs, and appear on the same panels — even if their users are market women who don’t care about AI or blockchain.
It’s time we stop building for applause and start building for adoption.
A startup founder in Nnewi, for example, cannot say their app would “disrupt local commerce using augmented reality.” That’s cute and sounds important, but to the local user, it makes no sense and may not be usable. But how about building a logistics tracker for the hundreds of spare parts traders whose main issue is delayed shipping?
Disruption isn’t always about flashy tech or high-sounding nonsense. Sometimes it’s solving a basic but deeply frustrating problem.
The Funding Obsession
Let’s also talk about the funding cult.
Every young tech entrepreneur wants to raise. But raise for what? Many haven’t found product-market fit, don’t have five paying users, and haven’t even broken out of their WhatsApp customer base.
But they’re looking for angel investors. Or pre-seed cheques. Or grants to travel to Nairobi for a “founders summit.”
Here’s the truth: You don’t need funding to validate an idea. You need users. You need friction. You need feedback. You need sweat equity.
“In the South, the most successful businesses often started with sales, not slides.”
Before you launch a startup, can you prove someone will pay for it? Before you dream of expansion, can your cousin use it without calling you for help? Before you hire a social media intern, do you even have a product worth tweeting about?
The Real Builders Are Too Quiet
Here’s the irony: while the pitch deck circus gets louder, the real builders are working in silence.
There are small but mighty companies in Asaba, Enugu and Imo solving for media, education, logistics, agriculture, and trade. They aren’t on TechCabal. They aren’t tweeting threads. But they’re making consistent revenue and real impact.
They don’t need validation because they already have customers.
These are the builders we should amplify. The ones focused on sustainability, not virality. The ones who stay up fixing code instead of refreshing LinkedIn for “Top Innovator Under 30” titles.
What We Need More Of
Tech for Informal Sectors: The South thrives on informal economies. Tech that improves traditional markets, artisan networks, and cooperative societies will win big here.
Founders Who Listen First: Too many tech solutions are built in isolation. Founders must talk to users. Ride along with dispatch riders. Sit in on market conversations. Observe.
Cultural Fluency in Design: Don’t build an app with Gen Z slang when your target users are baby boomers in Onitsha. Design with empathy and local language in mind.
Mentorship Over Micro-celebrity: Founders in the South need mentorship, not brand deals. We need more experienced operators sharing insights than selfie-taking thought leaders.
Local Government Collaboration: Local problems are often solvable with better public-private collaboration. Build tools that can help state governments improve transport, waste, SME financing, and access to public services.
Embrace Low-Tech Wins: Not everything must be a mobile app. Can your startup use USSD, community radio, or feature phones? Some of the best tech here doesn’t look like tech at all.
Cross-City Collaboration: Aba should learn from Uyo. Owerri should collaborate with Asaba. We need regional coalitions of doers who trade notes, tools, and talent.
Celebrate the Long Game: Growth that takes time is still growth. We need to normalise 5-year journeys over 5-month sprints.
Invest in Local Tech Journalism: The South needs media that tells its own innovation stories — deeply, honestly, and contextually. Not every startup story needs to be a Lagos-centric success tale. More regional journalists should be covering the real efforts being made in the trenches — the hackathons in Abia, the makerspaces in Uyo, the fintech builders in Onitsha. Tech journalism isn’t just about celebration; it’s also about documentation and accountability.
Build What Matters
The South is rising. Slowly. Steadily. But if we allow ourselves to be swept away by the noise of performative startup culture, we’ll miss our chance to build something authentic.
Let the big city startup scene chase unicorns. Down here, let’s chase usefulness.
Let’s build for the market stalls, the campuses, the rural clinics, the bus parks. Let’s build tools that change lives, not just LinkedIn bios.
Because in the end, “Not everything that glitters is scalable.”
The future of tech in the South won’t be built in co-working spaces with ring lights and buzzwords. It’ll be built in back rooms, family compounds, community centres, and roadside shops — by people who see a problem and decide to solve it.
And if we stay grounded, stay humble, and stay focused, we just might build something that lasts.
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