Victoria Folasade Ojebiyi is Chief Executive Officer, Alpha-Cedar Corporate Company, which is involved in beekeeping and honey processing. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she speaks on the prospects and challenges of beekeeping among others.
I’m a graduate of Marketing from The Polytechnic Ibadan. I had my beekeeping training at the Bee-craft Vocational Institute, Abeokuta. I had my entrepreneurial training with the National Directorate of Employment, programme ‘Start Your own Business’ (SYOB). I was on scholarship from Goldman Sach Corporations in the USA to study entrepreneurship at the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. I was also discovered by Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) empowering women entrepreneurs who handed us over to Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), where I happened to be among the first set of mentees of the LCCI.
Inspiration
for beekeeping
I have always loved nature and agriculture was something I loved so much. Many a time when I was growing up I had a little garden at the back of our house and every morning I will sit and imagine how the plants grow and I always appreciate God for His works. At a point, I learnt from a friend that there is a way one can keep bees to get honey. I was so fascinated and I desired that one day I will learn about it. My journey into beekeeping started when I got employed at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta Consult, as the marketing officer to market all their products including honey which they produce and processed. It was the week I resumed that the staff in charge of the honey unit resigned. I had no option than to assist the boy who was assisting him then. It was also at that time that the Consult organised a three-day workshop on beekeeping which I was opportune to be part of, and that was where the passion for beekeeping was unlocked and I longed to have a hive of my own. I told the consultant about it and he told me that whenever I’m ready, I should get in touch. I started out with three hives and these have increased with time.
Milestones recorded thus far
Today, what started out as a hobby has been a blessing to me. I will share three of these achievements that I hold so dear to my heart. First and foremost, after I started out, I intended keeping bees as a hobby but as God would have it, it has become a big business today. I later discovered that this is the business I’m cut out for and when I heard that NDE (National Directorate of Employment) was having a training for graduates that want to start their own business, I applied and was selected. After the training, I was empowered with some funds as loan which I paid back to start my business and that was when the confidence came and I started planning my exit from the Federal University of Agriculture to go into my own business.
The second one was when I won the Goldman Sach scholarship for Women Entrepreneurs in July 2011 to study at the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University. This was exactly a month into my resignation and the third one was when I was given a space at the Technology Incubation Centre (TIC), Abeokuta where I am now. Also I was selected to be among the first set of entrepreneurs to be mentored by the entrepreneurship unit of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and industries (LCCI)
Memorable moments as a beekeeper
There have been so many but this particular one, when I look back, I always thank God. It happened that I was working with the bees one hot sunny day with my husband in the apiary. We were well kitted-up but I was sweating inside the bee suit so, I left the hive I was working on to get some fresh air and then I forgot that the bees were still around and I removed my veil to get some fresh air and the next thing I saw was bees bombarding me and I was having braids on then, it was not a funny sight, but thank God for my husband who came to my rescue, else something terrible would have happened and this is one of the risks involved, though it was due to my carelessness.
Challenges on the job
The major challenges that are peculiar to beekeeping are bush burning and pilfering by honey robbers. This has been so predominant among beekeepers and it has been a great pain. I have lost so much to bush burning and honey robbing and I know this is also the plight of most beekeepers. Another challenge is the policies and subsidies from the government affecting inputs to honey production, which includes access to finance, infrastructure, farmland and technologies useful for beekeepers. I have tried and still trying and I know one day I will get there.
Coping challenges
Coping with these challenges has been so painful but one thing is that as the challenges surface I get to know of better ways within my ability to handle and overcome them notwithstanding the little capital at my disposal and that is where innovation and creativity comes in. I have positioned myself to solve problems and thereby gain more customers. I tried to work round situations and come up with solutions that will be beneficial to all stakeholders within my field of operation. I want every entrepreneur like me to know that the more people’s problem we solve, the more customers we gain, hence the more money we make. Never be burdened down with any problem, see it as a challenge and release yourself to tackle it headlong and when you do, more laurels are added to your cap.
Antecedents, why you chose this career line as well as the first job that you did?
When I got employed to the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta consult as a Marketing Officer, I never had it in my wildest imagination that I would end up in beekeeping but when I was faced with the challenge of assisting the boy in charge I discovered that, that was what I wanted to do. I began my research on honey and bees and what I learnt about the curative and medicinal properties of honey really fascinated me coupled with the demand on the product, my love for it increased. I also discover the various areas in the business that revenue could be generated, which could also create employment opportunities and above all adding value to the lives of my consumer through the consumption of good quality honey and its by-products.
Greatest influence
God has been the greatest influence in my life. He gives the inspiration, courage and strength to continue despite all odds. My husband also has always been there giving all the support that is humanly possible. Another influence over me is excitement.
I’m excited doing what I love doing and I think this has helped me achieve the little, little successes I have recorded so far, even when I go to people seeking for their assistance and they turn me down, my excitement does not let me down. I remain happy while I explore other means.
Life as an entrepreneur
The Oxford’s learners’ English dictionary defines entrepreneur as a person who makes money by starting or running businesses, especially when this involves taking financial risks.
It takes rugged and determined individuals to weather the storm of entrepreneurship as the business for many years seems to be taking everything away from you without giving anything back in return and this could be frustrating. From statistics, it has been proven that just a third of new businesses survives till the tenth year and those that survived are fond of doing some things that others failed to do. This is a major challenge.
I would say being an entrepreneur is a great privilege especially when you are just coming up. One thing that keeps me on is the passion I have for what I do and with perseverance and hard work I know I will achieve my goal.
There had been times, when it seems I should pack up and look elsewhere, probably take up a paid employment but each time this happens, God gives fresh inspirations about how to add value to my existing products and ideas about entirely new products and I am very grateful for this.
Opportunities for women in beekeeping
I have met with few women in my sectors that are beekeepers which they do as hobbies and they are really trying their best but as you would agree with me, finance to fund this business is a big challenge and I am using this medium to call on well meaning Nigerians and investors to start looking towards this branch of agriculture to invest and for concerned government agencies to consider giving grants to boost this branch of agriculture in order to encourage more women to go into beekeeping and that is part of my future plans to go into the grassroots and encourage more women to come into the business.
Prospects of beekeeping in Nigeria and abroad
I would say we are far from been there, with all the challenges we are facing here which is drawing us back. In other developed countries of the world, beekeeping has really gone far with the use of modern technology in keeping bees, thereby making it more interesting and profitable. We now have hybrid bees which give rise to the high honey yield and profitability. But I know one day we will get there, because Rome was not built in a day.
Support for SMEs
I would appreciate government effort for SMEs but at the same time how many SMEs are there that can say this is what they are enjoying from the government, securing funds are not easy, taxes are not SME-friendly, the power situation is nothing to write home about, not leaving out the difficulties involved before one can access farmlands from the government. I hope this new administration will visit these issues because lots of businesses are at the verge of collapse and I would advice this new administration to look into beekeeping as a means of generating employments for our teeming unemployed populace especially the youths.