Quartz expands coverage of Africa

Quartz, Atlantic Media’s digital global business news brand, will launch Quartz Africa this June with region-specific content and targeted native ads. Quartz, with founding partner GE, plans to provide both global and Africa-specific business news coverage to readers of the Quartz Africa site.

More than 40 percent of Quartz’s readers are from outside the US and in just over two years, the site has attracted more than 100,000 monthly unique users from Africa. Following its successful launch in June 2014, Quartz India has expanded to reach more than 1.3 million readers monthly, growing more than 500 percent in just eight months.

The rise of the African consumer economy is one of the biggest, and most under-covered, stories that are critical for business readers. By 2020, seven of the world’s top 10 fastest growing economies will be in sub-Saharan Africa. The continent already has more mobile subscribers than the US or the EU.

“As a global business publication, we have an editorial imperative to cover the most interesting and important developments in the global economy,” says Jay Lauf, Quartz co-president and publisher. “As a digital and mobile-first publication, Quartz has great commercial potential in Africa.”

Yinka Adegoke, who joined Quartz as its Africa editor, stressed the desire of the organization to pay significant attention to specific countries in Africa, especially regional big economies like Nigeria. Adegoke previously held senior positions at Reuters and Billboard, said: “Smart, insightful coverage of Nigeria is essential for a 21st Century global media player like Quartz not just because it’s Africa’s largest economy and one of the world’s fastest growing, but also because it is the continent’s must influential in terms of culture and innovation. The Nigeria narrative has long been stuck on corruption and mismanagement and not enough is done on the opportunities and ingenuity that young Nigerians use to cope. There’s no end of stories both for Nigerians at home and abroad as well as the global audience who want to better understand what makes the country tick.” Born in London and raised in Nigeria, Adegoke will lead the Quartz Africa team, consisting of journalists, freelancers, and contributors from across the continent.

Modeled after the Quartz India experience, Quartz Africa will be automatically viewable to readers in Africa via qz.com, and its content will be available to readers outside the region through the Quartz Africa view via qz.com/africa.

“It’s a truly thrilling time to cover the continent with the youngest demographics and several of the world’s fastest-growing economies,” said Adegoke. “Those dynamics are just beginning to unleash pent-up creativity, and are driving innovation and attracting smart investors from around the globe.”

GE, Quartz Africa’s premier founding partner, is known for having a focus on innovative native ad formats, media programs and content marketing as well as a commitment to partnering with Africa to deliver outcomes around infrastructure, technology and skill development.

“We’ve seen great engagement and attention with our Quartz India partnership and we are excited to partner with Quartz as they expand to Africa,” said Jason Hill, GE’s director of global media strategy. “We will be using Quartz’s innovative platform and content tools to tell stories around GE innovations, technology, and partnerships within this vastly growing market. We have a particular commitment to localization and skills training in Africa and believe these topics are rife for exploration via great content and the great editorial that has become a hallmark of Quartz.”

Quartz, launched in 2012, covers global business topics rooted in a set of defining coverage obsessions. The site is focused on the new global economy and geared toward business leaders and senior decision makers across a range of industries and markets. Quartz has more than 10 million unique visitors monthly and more than 40 journalists around the world who produce quality content day and night. Its content is optimized for access on tablets and mobile devices.