Ojoma Ochai, Managing Partner, The Creative Economy Practice at Co-Creation Hub, CcHUB has assumed the position of Board Chairperson, Africa Technology and Creative Group (ATCG).
Ochai takes over from Bosun Tijani, convener and former Board Chair for the Africa Technology and Creative Group (ATCG), who has been in the role for the past two years.
Other Board Members present at the meeting where Ochai was appointed included Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Founder and General Partner, Future Africa, Vuyisa Qabaka, Partner at HYBR Group, Leticia Browne, Director of Intelligent Capital, Ghana, Lesley Donna Williams, CEO Tshimologong Precinct, Yandile Nuku, GIQ Media, and Norbert Haguma, Tech & Mobilisation, AfricaGen.com.
Expressing her delight at the appointment, Ochai pledged to build on the achievements of the outgoing chair and work to ensure that in line with the original mission ‘the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA works for African entrepreneurs in the tech and creative economy.
Bosun Tijani, speaking about the motivation for convening the ATCG said ‘ I have always believed that the AfCFTA gives us the chance to be more integrated and intentional about our relationship as Africans – with ourselves and with the rest of the world. I am confident that the network we are creating with ATCG gives us a solid platform to shape this’.
The ATCG is a grassroots effort to ensure that the AfCFTA works for African businesses in the creative and tech sector. It is a coalition of tech and creative professionals whose mission is to support the creation of frameworks for the successful implementation of the AfCFTA in relation to their areas of influence and the wider economy for the benefit of all Africans.
ATCG was set up following a meet-up which was held at the Co-Creation Hub Design Lab in Kigali, Rwanda on August 15-16, 2019, based on a tweet by Tijani in the same year. More than 80 participants from 30 African countries, working in start-ups, innovation hubs, media, film, and music, attended the meet-up. Following the meet-up, a community continued in a WhatsApp group and is now comprising over 200 individual and institutional members that regularly share updates and opportunities in the community.
Since its inception, ATCG has launched a range of initiatives including a COVID-19 relief fund for African creatives, participated in various events related to the development of the AfCFTA, and held a number of events including a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO Resiliart event and another in partnership with UNDP.