By Fidelis Ajokpa

Chika Nzekwe is a high-impact product marketing strategist skilled in go-to-market strategy, messaging and positioning, and insight-led growth, helping businesses in Africa achieve their revenue goals. Her impressive marketing leadership at Traction Apps drove the fintech underdog to a frontline competitor, onboarding dozens of thousands of small and medium businesses (SMB), generating reportedly well over a million dollars and significantly contributing to the success of the company’s $6 million fund raise in 2023. This phenomenal growth happened at a time the ecosystem was experiencing a drought in investment and the Nigerian economy was experiencing nearly 40% inflation; its worst in over three decades. 

Chika has also founded Growth Trybe, a thriving community for early-stage founders to pass on growth and communication skills to young business owners who probably can’t afford a marketing lead or budget yet. She’s scaled it to over 10,000 members and helping these founders graduate from the group as their business grows.

As hundreds of startups continue to fold up because of the locked tap on investment and harsh business environment, we spoke with Chika on how founders and marketing heads need to master positioning, super efficient customer acquisition, and market expansion to outlast the current market and thrive. In this Q&A, she shares hard-won lessons on building strong, effective marketing functions that set companies apart and position them for long-term success.

Many African startups cut their marketing budgets during the funding winter, but as the ecosystem rebounds, what lessons should companies take into this new phase of growth in how they approach marketing and communications?

The past few years forced many African startups to confront a difficult truth: while cutting marketing spend may reduce burn in the short term, it also weakens the channels that build trust, maintain customer engagement, and ultimately drive revenue. The companies that emerged strongest from the funding winter weren’t necessarily the ones with the largest budgets; they were the ones that stayed visible, communicated consistently, and remained connected to their stakeholders, even when resources were tight.

As the ecosystem enters a new phase of growth, startups must shift away from vanity metrics and reactive campaigns. This is the time to become more intentional, more proactive, and more creative in understanding and serving customer needs. Marketing should no longer be treated as an accessory to fundraising cycles; it is a core business function. It defines who the company serves, why it matters, and how the product delivers real value.

The companies that will thrive in this next chapter are those that invest in strategic clarity and meaningful communication, not just promotional activity.

What’s the most common disconnect you see between what founders want to communicate and what customers actually need to hear?

One of the most common disconnects I see is the gap between the founder’s passion and the customer’s priorities. Founders often want to talk about everything: the innovation, the technology stack, the fundraising milestones. But customers are usually focused on something far simpler: “How does this product make my life easier or my business better, today?” The challenge, therefore, is translating a visionary founder’s narrative into language that connects with real customer needs. When messaging shifts from feature-led to outcome-led, customers finally hear what they’ve been waiting for.

How do you respond when a founder insists that marketing doesn’t drive tangible business results?

When a founder believes marketing has no tangible impact, it’s usually because they’ve only experienced marketing that was poorly structured or poorly measured. I often start by reminding them that every African startup that has scaled meaningfully across fintech, logistics, mobility, and SaaS did so on the back of disciplined communication and strong market positioning. Marketing is not just advertising. It is education, community, and trust-building, and storytelling that lowers acquisition costs and strengthens sales conversations. So the real question isn’t whether marketing works; it’s whether the company is using marketing in a strategic, measurable way that links directly to business outcomes.

When marketing, sales, and leadership teams are pushing different messages, how do you align them?

Misalignment typically occurs when marketing, sales, and leadership communicate from their individual perspectives rather than from a shared company narrative. The solution is to establish a unified messaging architecture, a clear framework that defines who the company is, the problem it solves for customers, and the core message every team must reinforce based on the company’s priorities at any given time.

Once this foundation is in place, alignment becomes significantly easier. Sales knows the story to tell, marketing understands what to amplify, and leadership communicates a consistent vision to the market. At that point, alignment evolves from a one-off workshop into an organizational habit, embedded in how teams think, plan, and communicate every day.

Given the shortage of experienced marketing talent across Africa’s tech ecosystem, how should startups build strong and effective marketing functions?

Across the ecosystem, startups often struggle to find marketers who can think strategically, execute creatively, and measure impact all at once. The common response is to hire a single “marketing generalist” and expect them to do everything, a model that almost always leads to burnout and underperformance.

A more effective approach is to build marketing capabilities in phases. Begin with someone who can define strategy, positioning, and priorities. Then reinforce that foundation with a mix of specialised partners depending on the business needs, whether for PR, content, design, or performance marketing, instead of expecting one individual to function as an entire department. As the company grows, investing in upskilling and mentorship becomes essential for building strong internal capacity. It’s a long-term, intentional process, but it’s ultimately what leads to a more capable, resilient, and sustainable marketing function.

Over the next 2 to 3 years, what will separate the companies that thrive from those that struggle, particularly in their marketing and communication strategies.

The companies that thrive will be the ones that communicate with precision and consistency. Clear positioning will matter more than ever, especially in crowded sectors where differentiation is increasingly difficult. Companies that show up consistently, not only during fundraising rounds or crises, will build the trust that ultimately translates into revenue and lasting customer loyalty. Equally important will be the shift from founder-focused storytelling to customer-focused storytelling. Audiences want to see real people and real outcomes, not just polished announcements. The companies that can humanize their brand and demonstrate genuine impact will be the ones that stand out. In essence, the next phase of Africa’s startup ecosystem will reward clarity, discipline, and empathy in communication. Those who master these will be the companies we’re still talking about years from now.