Month: November 2023

“I have always been fascinated by technology and vividly recall my first encounter with a computer during junior high school. I visited my teacher once, and I was completely captivated by his desktop computer. The idea of being able to perform tasks on the computer and then print the results surprised me. I was curious about how a computer could transform digital information into tangible, physical output.” says Kofi on how he first got interested in technology. “This experience is what got me interested in the big world of technology, and later product management in tech.”

While Kofi was an undergraduate, he studied agricultural engineering, even though his dream was to major in computer science. Despite this, his interest in computer science remained, so he took it upon himself to study computers and technology independently.  

Taking on new challenges 

“After school, during my national service, I had the chance to work in an IT role at my school, which allowed me to apply all that I had learned. This experience gave me a practical insight into what working in the field would be like. Subsequently, for my first job, I had the opportunity to work as a web designer in a startup, which provided me with valuable insights into the tech landscape.”  

The path to product management 

“As someone who has always taken the initiative to learn independently, I developed a strong interest in digital marketing. Together with my friends, I created an app designed to assist businesses in promoting their products and services on social media. This project provided me with an opportunity to delve into product management, as I oversaw the app’s entire lifecycle, from development to positioning and establishing frameworks to ensure the app met its primary objectives. Surprisingly, I did not even realize that I had been fulfilling the role of a product manager until I saw the vacancy for a product manager position here at Hubtel. So, I decided to give it a try, and here I am today.”  

Before his current role in product management, Kofi began his journey at Hubtel as a digital marketing associate. “My role was to assist the marketing team in managing our social media presence. I then transitioned into the role of a mall content manager, where my primary responsibility was to monitor and manage all items on the mall. This involved ensuring that all items were uploaded in a timely manner with correct descriptions. I worked closely with business owners and customers to ensure that orders were processed and fulfilled promptly.” says Kofi. Reflecting on his journey, he adds, “This marks my fifth year at Hubtel, and when I look back, I can see how far I’ve come.” 

More players with one common goal 

In his role as a product manager, Kofi described his responsibilities as primarily functional. His job entails overseeing other product managers to achieve two main objectives: increasing revenue and increasing the number of active users. 

“A typical workday for me involves ensuring that everyone’s interests are aligned with the overarching objectives and implementing measures to drive growth,” Kofi explains.  

Behind the scenes of growing products 

“At Hubtel, we practice agile product management by dividing tasks into sprints. This approach allows us to gather rapid feedback on product features and development. It is highly advantageous because market demands evolve quickly, and what is important to users today may not be essential in five months. As part of my role, I ensure that relevant metrics are attached to every feature or product envisioned by a product manager, enabling performance measurement. I also assist in developing designs or demos for new features proposed by product managers, which we present to stakeholders for approval. 

In addition to these tasks, I regularly conduct weekly catch-up meetings with all product managers. During these meetings, we brainstorm, share ideas, provide feedback, identify areas of difficulty, and determine how I can be of assistance. My primary responsibility is to ensure that everyone is aligned and working towards our shared objectives, ultimately delivering products that our users love.” 

Favorite product to work on 

“My favorite product to work on has got to be the food product because I was here when we started with it,” Kofi says. “I remember when we began quick commerce; we had everything available except food because we thought people wouldn’t want to order food online. But during the COVID lockdown, people started ordering a lot of food on the app, which surprised us. So, we shifted our focus to food because we saw that people like buying it online. Out of all the categories we had back then, food became the most popular. Currently, in quick commerce, it stands as the fastest-growing product, and I’m proud of that.” 

Favorite thing about working at Hubtel 

For Kofi, working at Hubtel is one of the best things ever. “Being part of the team behind the leading fintech in Ghana alone makes me happy,” he says. “I remember that before COVID, we used to have a get-together every Friday. It was great because after a long week of working, we got to meet everyone, chat, and bond. Even though we do not have that anymore, there is the end-of-year party that everyone looks forward to. It is great to meet everyone and celebrate our wins together.” he added. 

Looking forward 

“Hubtel is constantly growing. Every year, we embark on new and exciting products. I am excited to be a part of this journey and contribute to the next phase of Hubtel’s growth. Hopefully, we expand to other African countries and develop impactful products and innovations that benefit people across the continent.” Kofi says. 

And to wrap things up, Kofi’s favorite food to order on Hubtel… 

“We have this delicious hot kenkey from Kenkey Unique (Big recommendation!). Oh, and one of the best things is that they offer different sauces you can choose from, even tomato stew. They are my go-to retailer for ordering Kenkey on the app.”