2022
Kakpo E. Fiacre
Country/area: Togo
Organisation: Togo First, Agence Ecofin
Organisation size: Big
Cover letter:
My name is Fiacre Kakpo, 29 years old, Beninese of nationality, residing in Togo, datajournalist specialized in economic topics, with 5 years of professional experience, 4 of which in positions of responsibility.
An IT and economist by training, I hold the position of Deputy Editor in Chief in charge of data-related topics at Agence Ecofin (https://www.agenceecofin.com/). I obtained a Master’s degree in Data Science from CentraleSupélec in Paris in November and an International Certificate in Corporate Finance (ICCF) from HEC Paris in 2020. Prior to these two parchments, I had earned a professional degree in Business Informatics, and another degree in Economics and International Finance (EFI) simultaneously in 2014.
In 2018, I added a new string to my bow by obtaining a certification in Development Journalism at the end of a 6-month training, co-organized by the World Bank, the largest journalism school in West Africa (CESTI in Dakar) and the Lille School of Journalism (ESJ Lille).
Professionally, I was a Microsoft Dynamics Nav ERP Developer Consultant for a company in Benin and worked on major projects deploying integrated management and database software solutions, before moving into journalism in 2016.
Since 2016, I have been following and processing economic news in Africa on a daily basis, with a specialty on issues related to high finance, public management, etc. For the past two years, I have been working non-stop on how to exploit data to present the news, how to make data talk, and how to use data to deconstruct fake news. All these experiences confirm my belief that tomorrow’s journalism will not be based on data and its applications. As such, I am preparing to start a PhD program by 2023 on the use of artificial intelligence and Big Data in the media.
I’m a Power BI consultant and have a good command of data manipulation and visualization tools (Google Sheets, Python, Dash, plotly, Seaborn, Pandas, Datawrapper, Infogram, Tableau, Bokeh,…)
Since 2019, I have been managing Mediamania Africa, the African subsidiary of Mediamania, the Geneva-based company that develops Agence Ecofin. Mediamania Africa publishes the website Togo First, the first online media specialized on economic news about Togo. I am in charge of the editorial staff of this media and also the administrative tasks, the HR management with a staff of 10 employees (journalists, translators, Community Manager, …). In parallel, I am responsible for data at Agence Ecofin since the end of 2020.
I’m a general culture enthusiast, a former champion of Génies en Herbes, self-taught and a geek on the edges. I know how to learn fast and adapt as quickly.
Description of portfolio:
- https://www.togofirst.com/fr/telecoms/0312-9075-le-secteur-de-l-internet-fixe-au-togo-en-6-points-infographie
This article reviews the fixed internet sector in Togo (West Africa), the key figures of the sector such as the operators’ turnover, their subscriber base, their investments and the technologies deployed. Upon publication, the article received very positive feedback, shared by the most important decision makers (ministers, CEOs, institutions). The audience of our platform exploded in the two weeks following the publication. Whether on Twitter or LinkedIn, the interactions were more than there. I have been approached by firms specialized in digital issues to produce the same analysis for the mobile market. Work that is currently in progress.
- https://www.togofirst.com/fr/banque/2709-8558-classement-des-banques-togolaises-en-2020
Just like the previous article, this work has given a reading grid to the different actors. The article has been for a long time one of the most read on our platform. It continues to be one of our biggest successes of the year 2021, as it represents something new with dynamic and interactive graphs built from data scrapped here and there. In an environment where banks hide almost all their information, it was a shock wave when it was published.
- https://www.togofirst.com/fr/banque/2210-8766-entreprises-privees-particuliers-etat–qui-sont-les-enfants-cheris-des-banques-togolaises
In the same vein, this article published in the wake of a fake news circulating on social networks, helped to clear things up. It was like a beam of light on bank financing, a major topic of heated debate in an economy like Togo’s, where operators are underfunded.
- https://www.togofirst.com/fr/logistique/1012-9116-trafic-conteneur-le-port-de-lome-en-course-vers-un-nouveau-record-porte-par-lct
One of the terminals of the port of Lomé has been beaten in 11 months. The information puts into perspective the dynamics that have been observed since the arrival of the shipowner MSC, when rumors were swirling about the sale of Bolloré’s activities to the Italian-Swiss shipowner. The news was well received in Lomé, as the French billionaire is little appreciated by the local public.
- https://www.togofirst.com/fr/logistique/2109-8518-avec-une-croissance-a-deux-chiffres-en-2020-lome-devient-le-4e-port-a-conteneurs-en-afrique
The Port of Lomé has entered the relevant list of the 100 ports with the best container traffic. We had the exclusive right to this information.
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/agenceecofin_pib-des-pays-africains-1960-2020-activity-6856152471656566785-DGEd
A race bar I developed in hard coding with Python by scrapping the World Bank data. The video was shared like hotcakes on the networks.
The ranking of the most important banking groups in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Uemoa). The article has significantly increased our audience. Above all, it allowed our readers to know the forces at work in the economic integration area. A new reading key.
Project links:
www.togofirst.com/fr/banque/2709-8558-classement-des-banques-togolaises-en-2020
