Because Users Aren’t Metrics — They’re Humans

Too many founders in Africa are obsessed with market size, TAMs, SAMs, and VC-friendly acronyms.
They build for “emerging middle class segments,” “underserved Gen Z populations,” and “mobile-first ecosystems.”

Cool. But here’s the real question: Are you building something real people actually want — and will use more than once?

Because “market opportunity” looks great in a pitch deck, but human need is what drives adoption.

The Trap: Building for Investors, Not Users

We get it — the pressure to raise capital is real.
But when your product is designed to impress funders instead of serving actual people, here’s what happens:

• Your app has clean UI but no retention.
• Your sign-up numbers are decent, but engagement is dead.
• Your pitch is solid, but your product feels hollow.

Bottom line: You don’t have product-market fit. You have product-deck fit.

The People You’re Ignoring

Let’s take it local.

• That trader in Yaba isn’t “a micro-SME persona.” She’s trying to move goods, keep track of cash, and avoid being scammed.
• That 24-year-old student isn’t “a digital native.” He’s juggling school, side hustles, and poor network.
• That Uber driver doesn’t need “AI-powered dashboards.” He just wants a faster way to know where surge zones are.

Real people have problems, not “use cases.”

How to Actually Build for People

1. Start With Conversations, Not Surveys

Before you drop ₦1 on code or design, go outside. Talk to humans.

• What are they struggling with daily?
• What hacks are they using to survive?
• What frustrates them about existing options?

Insight beats assumption. Always.

2. Solve One Painfully Specific Problem First

Too many startups want to do everything at once:

“We’re a super app for commerce, logistics, payments, finance, and astrology.”

Pick one problem. Solve it so well that your users tell their friends unprovoked.

3. Test With Real Users (Not Just Your Co-founder’s Cousin)

Your friends love your idea? Great.
Now test it with people who don’t owe you compliments.

• Will they come back to use it again?
• Will they pay — even a little?
• Will they recommend it?

If yes: you’re onto something.
If no: iterate, not cope.

4. Build for Behavior, Not Just Desire

People say they want to save money. Cool.
But what do they actually do? They borrow, flex, and impulse-buy.

Great products help people do what they want while navigating how they really act.

You’re not just designing features — you’re designing around psychology, culture, and friction.

5. Stay Obsessively Close to Feedback

Don’t ship and ghost. Ship and stay curious.

• What’s confusing?
• Where do they drop off?
• What are they hacking around in your app?

The feedback is free R&D. Use it.

Markets are abstract. People are real.
And if you want retention, referrals, and real growth — build for people first. Always.

Solve for real-life behavior.
Listen more than you pitch.
Serve before you scale.

Because a billion-dollar market means nothing if nobody sticks around to use what you built.