Chisom Uma not only made the switch from front-end engineering to technical writing but also pivoted to documentation engineering, adding design to the practice of documentation. The result? Daily active users grew from 2,000 to 10,000+ at GBG Plc. Technical writing is simply the art of documenting instructions and user manuals on how to use a technical product. This looks easy from the outside, but from the inside, you quickly discover that most of the time, your primary audience is developers and technology-inclined individuals looking to integrate their own tech products with yours. This means that a technical writer must be able to speak the language the general audience understands, as well as the language of software development. It's like wearing two hats at once. Switching to technical writing implies learning how to communicate technical ideas to developers with clarity and ease. Chisom Uma’s pivot Within three years, Chisom Uma moved from front-end engineering into technical documentation engineering. “I got into front-end development through my brother, but I was inspired to try technical writing because it let me do the two things I enjoy most: building and writing,” he told Condia. “When I realised there was a role that combines both, it caught my attention. That’s how I got into technical writing.” As his career progressed, he kept running into documentation gaps that made it harder to build and ship. Those frustrations pushed him to go beyond writing and take ownership of the documentation experience itself. “I wrote a lot of front-end-based articles, and one of the biggest challenges was going through documentation and realising that some of it was difficult to follow and integrate,” Uma explained. That experience nudged him toward documentation engineering. In three years, he went from coding to breaking down technical processes and leading documentation for a product-led company. And even from Nigeria, he says those skills helped him land a role at a UK firm, where he still works today. For African talent, documentation engineering can be a global leverage career Uma’s story also points to a larger shift happening quietly across the global tech labour market: documentation has become one of the most portable ways to build an international career from Africa. That’s because documentation work is increasingly remote-friendly, portfolio-driven, and globally marketable in a way many roles aren’t, especially for professionals who can write clearly and think like builders. Unlike jobs where hiring managers insist on relocation or restrict roles to specific time zones, documentation roles are often evaluated based on outputs that can be produced anywhere: integration guides, API references, Quickstarts, troubleshooting playbooks, and developer onboarding flows. The work is visible. It compounds. And it travels. A strong portfolio, public docs, open-source contributions, published technical articles, and well-structured sample documentation can do what a formal credential often can’t: prove you can help real users succeed with complex products. This is why documentation sits at the intersection of opportunity and leverage for African talent. Many engineers and writers across the continent already have the raw ingredients, curiosity, improvisation, and the habit of learning by doing. Documentation rewards that same muscle. It’s not only about explaining features; it’s about mapping the user journey, anticipating confusion, and designing the shortest path to success. In other words, the writer isn’t just describing the product; they’re shaping how the product is adopted. The opportunity becomes even stronger in categories where documentation is inseparable from growth: DevTools, fintech, and infrastructure. In these spaces, docs are often the first place prospects experience the product. Developers arrive via search, GitHub, or referrals from other teams, and their decision to continue is influenced by whether they can integrate quickly, understand edge cases, and deliver a working implementation without waiting for support. When documentation is good, it reduces drop-offs, lowers support load, and shortens time-to-value. When it’s bad, users churn silently. Uma’s path shows what's possible when you treat documentation like a product surface rather than an afterthought. And it reframes what “breaking into tech” can mean for Africans. You don’t always need a visa pathway to enter the global market. Sometimes you need proof of craft. Documentation offers a rare lane where the proof can be built publicly, iterated openly, and judged on impact, making it a practical route into international teams for writers who can understand systems and communicate them with precision. How GBG’s docs went from bounce to 10,000+ daily users GBG Plc is a London Stock Exchange-listed (FTSE 250) company specialising in global digital identity verification, fraud prevention, and location intelligence. The tech firm says it serves over 20,000 customers worldwide with solutions for KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) compliance. Uma contributes to the company's growth through documentation, engineering and technical writing. According to him, he scaled daily active users from 2,000 to 10,000+ as the number continues to grow. He explained that the pathway to this achievement involved resolving the audience segmentation challenge the firm faced when he joined. “We had different audiences, and there was no clear path for them to navigate the documentation. This was a problem that led to the bounce rate,“ he said. Chisom Uma solved this issue by building a custom landing page for users, fixing the audience segmentation issue, and introducing AI search, ditching the manual method that had been in place. Other notable changes Uma brought to GBG were the introduction of ‘Quickstart,’ a feature he said hastened the onboarding process for customers, among other progressive features. Chisom Uma still occupies his role at GBG Plc and believes that technical writing is a viable career path for many Nigerians looking to transition into tech. His assertions on this issue are based on his personal experience, making him an expert on the topic. The case for technical documentation as a growth channel In the Nigerian tech space, roles like UX design, Front-end and Back-end Development, and even Product Management dominate the conversation. Uma believes technical writers are also “tech bros” who can significantly influence growth. On how to get started, Uma said that a genuine love for writing and curiosity about tech are the perfect mix for succeeding in technical writing. He also believes that the first step for serious candidates is writing. “Just start writing. It doesn't have to be perfect at first try. Start writing and start documenting. You can start from a simple process like documenting a software you most commonly use on your phone,” Uma said. He also said that complementing hands-on experience with little formal education is a solid way to build a knowledge base for aspiring technical writers. He recalled taking technical writing courses on Udemy to brush up on his knowledge in the field. Uma also thinks that open-source contributions are a great way to announce yourself to the industry, build a portfolio of your work, and connect with other technical writers. Chisom Uma advised newbies looking to get into the space to pick a niche and double down on it. According to him, niching down helps technical writers reach an expert level faster. The documentation engineer also thinks that following the work of industry leaders like Stripe and Slack is a great way to stay abreast of industry standards. Uma advised that more Nigerian startups hire more technical writers to lead the onboarding process of their tech products. He thinks technical writing is a useful field in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem for both product builders and young Nigerians looking for gigs to earn a living.
