The Nation Newspaper

Category: Small Business and Entreprenuership

  • Exporting capacities from Nigeria to the world

    The service sector is making a strong showing on the international stage, one that benefits the economy and creates jobs. Innovation experts and business incubation professionals are building start-ups’ capacities across Africa, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    When Co-Creation Hub (CCHub) Chief Executive, Bosun Tijani participated as an International Trade Centre (ITC) and Hewlett Packard (HP) fellow in 2004/2005 in Geneva, he did not imagine what the training will  expose him to. His Geneva training gave birth to his desire to contribute to a movement in Africa, one geared towards harnessing the gains from collaborative problem solving and technology to leapfrog the growth of the continent. It was this that propelled him towards founding Co-Creation Hub, a technology innovation centre and start-up incubator, based in Lagos.

    The centre is an  open-living lab, designed as space where work to catalyse creative social-tech ventures takes place. Among so many things, CCHub is renowned for its role in building one of the fastest-growing technology clusters in Africa.

    The hub aims to accelerate market realisation for start-ups with technology solutions in finance, agriculture, education, governance and health care.

    After building a presence in Lagos, CCHub has established a centre in Kigali, Rwanda. The new state-of-the-art lab, located in Kigali, Rwanda sees CCHub expanding its physical presence to another African country for the first time in its eight-year history.

    The place will provide a pre-incubation space as well as  train the next generation of tech entrepreneurs. The laboratory, which according to Tijani is the first of its kind, is expected to be the hub’s internal research and development (R&D) unit. This workroom will be home to designers, engineers and product developers. They will all work together with top scientists globally to solve major social challenges.

    The laboratory in Kigali is expected to foster engagement between tech entrepreneurs and innovators towards creating new solutions to a number of social problems in Africa as a continent. This includes big issues in public health, education and governance.This will catalyse the incubation space’s mission of accelerating the application of creative social capital and technology for economic prosperity in Nigeria and across the continent.

    This will also accelerate Kigali’s growth as a global technology hub (which is being touted as the next big spot for science and technology in Africa) while keying into the country’s amazing story in 2019.

    CCHub  said it is now looking to partner both public and private industry bodies from across the continent. Tijani said:”We’ve been building tech businesses alongside African entrepreneurs for almost a decade and in that time, we’ve identified a common challenge that businesses face when it comes to sustainable growth – Design and Innovation. With the CCHub’s Design lab, we will be collaborating with organisations that may not have the capacity to design, build and innovate as quick as leaner startups would. The lab will also build on CCHub’s extensive global and pan-African network of partners, research institutes and governmental organisations to execute practical design projects that will solve some of our social and business challenges at scale”

    “While our work from the lab will focus on the entire continent, we chose Rwanda as the country to operate from because of the ease of doing business in the country. Additionally, by collaborating with the Rwandan government, whose vision aligns with ours, we hope to find solutions that will enable socio-economic development, productivity and development across Africa.”

    Chief  Executive,  Samson Olatunde Company, Samson Olatunde believes  that  services  can  play in helping Nigerians  transform the  African  economy into leadership in technology advancement, as well as growth in skilled jobs and competitiveness.

    As an entrepreneur, Olatunde vision is to help businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. He ventured into entrepreneurship at 22 and became a millionaire at 24 as an undergraduate. His business muscles began to develop during his undergraduate days at Ogun State University. Though young, Olatunde decided to take the bull by the horn. He saw himself attaining financial independence and took radical steps to bring his dream to reality.

    He went on to execute an online business idea, which earned him N4 million in just three weeks. As a matter of fact, he was entitled to a monthly allowance of N4,000 from his parents as an undergraduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye. However, he saw much more than the monthly N4,000.

    Having realised his passion and capacity to impart knowledge, Olatunde did not loaf. He saw the need for computer literacy around the university campus and ventured to make the most of that opportunity. He therefore organised computer training classes with his friend’s computer and the people kept coming. That was only the beginning of his cruise into distinction in business. In his fourth year, the young Olatunde registered his company since he was already convinced that he would not need to pursue white collar jobs after graduation.

    The height of Olatunde’s business success during those days on campus was his adventure into the sphere of information marketing. He packaged the products extremely well and marketed with every strength and strategy he could muster. The end result was financial revolution for the young undergraduate, who hit his first  seven digits at 24.

    To him, youth    empowerment    and    entrepreneurial  capabilities  are  critical  to  ensuring  economic  growth  and  eliminating  extreme  poverty  in developing countries. With elevated youth unemployment rates, with increased susceptibility to working poverty and a growing youth population, Olatunde  stressed that  there  is  a  need  to  boost  job  creation  and higher quality job opportunities.

    In his untiring quest to nurture young people and Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) Olatunde founded Samson Olatunde Foundation with a mandate to transform Africa through education and enterprise.

    Olatunde and his team have empowered over 15,000 undergraduates in over 15 campuses within the six geo-political zones in Nigeria and other African nations.  He has a five-year  plan through his  Digital Literacy Africa initiative to tour 40 African nations before he clocks 40 and empowers 40,000 MSMEs.

    His Digital Literacy Africa summit has held in Burkina Faso and  Ghana with focus on start-ups. He did  it at  University of Ghana and AUB University, Burkina Faso. Through hands-on workshops, case studies and keynotes; the summit provided attendees with emerging strategies and tactics of online marketing.

    Olatunde stressed that ensuring the economic well-being of young people by creating opportunities in trade and business is the right thing to do.

    Menog Publishing Chief Executive, Henry Omenogor, is encouraging people to use their kitchen and backyard ovens to bake fresh bread to create opportunities for entrepreneurs. He does this in Nigeria and Ghana.

    Omenogor is spreading a subtle revolution in bread business. This is because he is raising a generation of micro bakers, training those ready to raise up to N100,000.

    He teaches them how to make simple delicious bread, which can be done from their residences, using home kitchens.

    Omenogor has come a long way. He moved from Lagos to Ghana in search of better opportunities where he started an internet business, and branched into giving seminars, attracting attendance until he had some challenges.

  • Coconut oil production

    Coconut oil, also known as copra oil, is suitable in medical and other domestic purposes.

    As a result of its high content of oily-milk, it is slow to oxidize and it is resistant to rancidification, which has the shelf life of two years and beyond when properly processed into oil.

    Extraction process:

    Coconut oil production is done in two ways:

    1. Dry method – This process requires.
    2. Wet method.

    Dry processing – This method involves drying of the extracted meat by means of firing or kilns to generate copra, which is crushed and pressed to generate the coconut oil.

    Wet process – This method is widely practice in homes by house wives. The coconut meat is crushed, washed with water to collect milky liquid, which is further boiled or heated to a certain temperature, after which, it is allowed to cool down and the oil would be collected by means of de-counting or by the use of oil extractor.

    Potentials

    It is generally use for the treatment of several ailments, such as cough, neutralizing food poison, used in production of body and hair cream amongst other medical and pharmaceutical applications.

    Availability

    Coconut is readily available and very cheap in Nigeria, especially in the coastal areas. It is found in commercial quantity in over six states of the country.

    Process Description:

    Cleaning: remove shell and brown skin and washing by machines

    Drying:  putting clean coconut meat to chain tunnel dryer

    Crushing:  making dry coconut meat to suitable small pieces

    Pre-press: Press the cakes to leave oil 16%-18% in the cake. The cake will go to extraction process

    Filtration: filtrating the oil more clearly then pump it to the oil tank

    Packaging:

    At this point, the produced coconut oil is bottled and packaged neatly in cartons, with branded name and trade mark, that makes your product outstanding from the ones in the market, thereafter; it is ready to be marketed.

    Cost implication:

    The cost of investment depends on the capacity of the factory or plant you wish to install. As little as from N100, 000 to as much as N50M could be invested in the business.

    Profitability:

    It is highly lucrative, as more and more persons are becoming aware of the innumerable use of the product.

    Note: Pre-treatment and prepressing section is a very important before extraction, as it will directly affect extraction and affect and oil quality.

     

  • ‘How I moved from banking to fashion designing’

    Adetokunbo Amosu is a creative entrepreneur within the fashion industry. With experiences in corporate Nigeria spanning stockbroking, insurance, marketing and direct retail, she runs the day to day affairs at Reniques Dezigns Limited. She is also a partner with the BizMobile learning Solutions. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about how she honed her expertise in inventory management, sourcing, procurement, collection assembly, visual merchandising and scaling businesses. Excerpts:

    Let’s talk about your first job?

    I used to be a broker and then I had fashion dreams like all of us. I had always had something from the creative. I studied Banking and Finance. I decided that I would do fashion but I had to look for somewhere to learn. These days, I am not sure where the passion is because the books must balance now.

    But then, I knew that I wanted to do something different. I had an eye for details. If a graphic designer is here, he will probably be seeing colours, the cut of the dress and how it contrasts. That has always been me. I went to study, I had learnt majorly right after service year .I lived all my life in Ekiti and I did not want to go back to the civil service. So, I went to Ibadan, where my friend, who was newly married, stayed and I wanted to make myself useful. I did a certification course on weekdays and learnt to sew on weekends. It sounded perfect and then the job came and I became a stock broker. When I wanted to go back, I knew I needed more than what I had learnt. So, I went to the export school, at the National Export Promotion Council. They are affiliated to several garment industries and I was learning somewhere in Ikoyi.

    All of what I learnt was majorly bulk and when everyone is thinking of making one piece , I think about making 100 and how to turnover on that. I put in my resignation shortly before the recession, just before the market crashed. Maybe at that time, I did not want to be called a tailor and everybody thought I was making a mistake. My boss, colleagues and everyone. I started my bridal store and we were at it. I was getting customers in bits and pieces but it wasn’t adding up.

    I wanted more and I struggled at it, tried to get a liquid line and did so many other things by the side. It did not look like the luxury line that I was trying to sell. I sold for a while and in 2011, two years after I had a store in Ogudu and said maybe it is not working.

    I closed the store and decided to go and learn properly because there is the business side of fashion which is what I am expert at now. At the time, I had my eyes set on a fashion bride, that I could work with and gather more knowledge as regards this arm of business that seems to be not about talent. I was told that if I had to work with Nike Ogunlesi, you had to be a performer.

    Our head of team, then said if I could deliver the next event, she would make me her mentee. Part of what would get you into that place would be to be a performer. It was an annual symposium for grassroots designers and because I had always done some volunteering in the fashion space, I was a natural publicist. We did the next event and she credited it to me and that was how I went to work with Ruff and Tumble.

    What was the experience like?

    It remains till date the most strenuous, it was hard work and it was 14 months and it turned out to be the best 14 months of my life. I came out of that experience knowledgeable, not knowing that I had gathered that much. I came out more resilient, with more clarity. It was as if someone took me on a helicopter view to see the fashion industry that I wanted to play in. Procurement, outsourcing, inventory management were some of the things that I learnt while at Ruff and Tumble. What happened was that I built my store and I saved it. It is a chain kiddie’s retail store.

    Then we had seven stores but now there are about 20 stores. The mall was just opening and even though I was employed, ownership was infused into everybody. It is about the people working. At the time, I didn’t know I was learning, it was just hard, wearing T-shirts for someone that had owned a brand before.

    A lot of people who didn’t have vision asked me what became of my company .For me, it was a proper learning process and these days  I tell everyone who cares to know, that maybe that is what every aspiring entrepreneur should do. I go through the trenches and come out better. One of the things that I do well now is building structure. I went to learn there and I was team lead. When I came out, I wish I could say that I was the star performer but that wasn’t the case. There were things that I was really bad at, like report writing but there were things that I was good at. I always knew that I could sell, that brand enabled my selling skills. In fourteen months, we had two high seasons, I made N88 million. I didn’t make it alone; I made it with my team. I wasn’t the highest and I probably wasn’t the lowest too.

    What that reinforced for me was that I could sell. Part of my mistakes also is that thinking, that when you are an employee you tell yourself that I did that. Even though, I sold Mrs. Ogunlesi kept my sales channel open. Everybody in head office was working for me and for us, as it were. My content writers were writing, my business developers were developing, marketers were marketing. Everything that needed to be done was done and when you walk into the store as a customer, it is the cumulative investment that you see. So, it was easy for me to replicate this at Reniques designs Limited. We also have Reniques Occasions.

    What happened immediately after that?

    Armed with the knowledge I came back to work for myself with more clarity. I still wanted occasional wears but I discovered that the one business model wasn’t going to work for me. As a bride, if you like me and you are convinced you buy from me, you can tell your sister or your friend who probably has another person. So, it is a fairy tale experience. So, I wanted to deal with the whole bridal crew and I began to infuse things. There was the brides’ maid party, the train and the aso ebi line. This was how I got affiliated to a luxury fabric company, Ayanski Limited. We are therefore a fashion support to manufacturing company. I started with them in 2013 and we are an occasion wear company. We do wears and accessories. Our main customers are businesses as against the retail experience. We have positioned the brand to solve the problems of fashion designers. Apart from the training arm, there is also the fact that I do a lot around fashion volunteering advocacy. There are made designers, upcoming designers and there are bodies that have position themselves to link them together. What me tell the made designers is would you like to pull up this struggling ones. So, I was an integral part of an organisation called the business side of fashion. We had symposiums. Mentors series and I met a lot of designers in the process. That was where I knew that they had issues as little as where to source fabrics, sorting zips to staffing and hiring. So, I came in here and was latching onto the bigger brands in the value chain and sorting things. Just like my Ruff and Tumble experience, I learnt a whole lot here. So, I am not there trying to go to China or Dubai. So, I positioned myself to outsourcing materials and I got to the point of me realising that I wasn’t meant to be a designer.

    I found out that I loved to sell and be in the fashion value chain. I have over the years acquired several skills through the AEP programme at FATE Foundation, the National Export Promotion council /AGOA Bulk Apparel Manufacturing training and recently completed advanced training in Leadership at Daystar Leadership Academy.I was also one of the 1,200 exceptional women who won the Federal Government Youth with  Innovation grant for young women entrepreneurs in the 2nd run of the program tagged YouWin Women.

     

  • Lafarge rewards distributors, pledges support for business growth

    Lafarge Africa, a leading cement manufacturer and building solutions provider, has rewarded its performing trade partners for excellent performance in the year 2018.

    The Customer Appreciation Awards which held in three cities including Gombe, Ibadan, and

    Enugu, celebrated customers who distribute Lafarge Africa’s range of products from Ewekoro and Sagamu in the South West, Mfamosing in the South-South and Ashaka in the North East.

    In a statement in Abuja on Monday, the Head, Corporate Communications, Lafarge Africa, Omotola Oyebanjo, stated that outstanding customers went home with 11 tonne trucks, five tonne trucks commercial tricycles and an all-expense paid trip to Saudi Arabia, among others.

    According to the statement, the 2018 awards was a major landmark for the company as it coincided with its 60th year of sustainable business practice in Nigeria.

    “The company which pioneered commercial cement production in Nigeria, started operations in 1959 (then as West African Portland Cement Company, WAPCO) and has played a significant role in building homes, offices, roads, bridges, monuments and cities across Nigeria.

    “At the Awards ceremonies, the company reiterated its commitment to support the business growth of its trade partners,” the statement said.

    Commercial Director, Lafarge Africa, Gbenga Onimowo, who spoke during the South East awards, commended distributors for their contribution to the growth and success of the company’s business in the previous year.

    “As partners in progress, we will work closely with all our partners to ensure their business grows in a very sustainable manner. We will also support our customers with tools and training initiatives to develop their human capacity as well as their business processes,” he stated.

    Also, the Country Chief Executive Officer of the company, Michel Puchercos, who was in Gombe for the awards, expressed appreciation to all the distributors for their remarkable performance in keeping the Lafarge range of products as one of the top brands in the market.

    “For your commitment to results through the years and in 2018 in particular, Lafarge

    Africa says a big thank you and we look forward to a more fruitful year in 2019. Your efforts have helped the company maintain its market position and the brand continues to enjoy the trust and respect which it has built with Nigerians over the years.

    “This year, we are set to change the way we do business by empowering our customers to become partners. To achieve this Lafarge Africa has embarked on a business transformation project which is aimed at improving operating efficiencies and interactions with our customers for a mutually beneficial relationship. Our new strategy has started to deliver results and we are on a new path of profitable growth,” he said.

  • ‘Nigeria will benefit more from AGOA before scheme expires’

    Recently, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) under its African Growth and Opportunity Act Trade Resource Centre (AGOA-ATRC) organised a one day workshop for export ready and potential exporters in Kano. NEPC, the Federal Government’s agency in charge of promotion of all non-oil export trained participants on how to export under AGOA into the United States and enjoy maximum benefit. The Regional Coordinator of the NEPC, South West, Mr. Babatunde Faleke speaks with Omolara Akintoye on why Nigerians need to tap into the scheme. Excerpts:

    In your opinion as an administrator and Coordinator at the NEPC, how do you think Nigeria can benefit maximally from AGOA?

    Yes, Nigeria can benefit maximally like other sub-Saharan AGOA eligible  Countries, only if  processor/manufacturer/ producers of made in Nigerian products can do things right: produce quality AGOA eligible goods consistently, meet buyers specifications, mass produce to make the goods competitive, meet orders by timely delivery of goods, obtain Textile Visa Stamp for export of apparel and textiles and support shipment with genuine documentation like quality certificate and certificate of origin etc.

    It is obvious there are so many exporters who export ‘behind the door’, I mean those not exporting through the NEPC. What is your organisation doing to encourage these exporters to take advantage of AGOA?

    The NEPC identified this trend through market research visit to the markets like Ebute Ero, Idumagbo and Marina in Lagos Island, Mile 12 market, Aspanda market in Badagry, Okerete Boarder in Shaki and Seme boarder; where both leather and rubber slippers, grinding machines, malt and soft drinks, Yam, Tomatoes, confectionaries, household goods etc. were loaded for export.

    To mitigate this trend of informal trade, we organised Zero to Export Programmes where exporters and potential exporters were taken through the process of exporting from zero knowledge to the stage of exporting.  Participants were taken through eight weeks intensive lecture, culminating in the field/market research to gain practical experience. So far, a total of 10 series of Zero2Export programmes have been conducted and 10 Cooperatives formed and are engaged in export businesses.  This was achieved through collaboration with the private sector organisations like Fidelity Bank, Sterling Bank and Providus Bank.

    How well have you sensitized Nigerian exporters to take advantage of AGOA before it expires?

    From time to time people do visit the AGOA Center to make enquiries and information on AGOA disseminated to them. The same happens at the other Regional offices of the Council where we have AGOA Desk officers. More importantly and within our limited resources, advocacy programmes was conducted in seven States in Nigeria in 2018; Kano is the first State in 2019. In all, precisely 913 participated in the programmes.

    Recently, one of the AGOA eligible countries, Seychelles was declared not eligible again since the country (of just about 100,000 population) got the maximum benefit and exited the list of developing countries.  What is NEPC/Nigeria learning from this tiny nation like the Bible advised us to learn from the ants and get wisdom? 

    Seychelles is a very small country, has a strategy in place and took advantage of the opportunity, so it was quite easy to coordinate the country’s trade compared to Nigeria which is a large country of about 200 million people with different cultures.  The expectations are really high and requires concerted efforts from all the Stakeholders both public and private sector organisations to move the economy forward.  As NEPC is striving to fulfill its mandate of promoting non-oil exports and other Stakeholders follow the process, with time Nigeria will get there as we have more products and capacity.

     

  • ‘How start-ups can access grants’

    With dwindling funding, access to grants is becoming more competitive.To solve the problem, Acceler hub has held a training for social entrepreneurs on how to write proposals for raising funds for their projects. DANIEL ESSIETreports.

    ACCESS to donors is becoming a challenge for social entrepreneurs and non-government organisations (NGOs).

    Thus, they are learning new ways of getting grants.

    It is against this background that a Lagos-based start-up empowerment organisation, Acceler hub, has  trained social entrepreneurs and NGOs on how to solicit funding.

    The training covered proposal writing and presentation, introducing participants to the various sections of funding proposals, including objectives and linking those to well-defined activities, as well as strategies for effective fund raising, showing participants the need to have a strategy for fund raising to meet their needs and ensure sustainability.

    Participants were taken through, among other things, the steps in fundraising; sources of income and fundraising plan.

    The guest speaker was Mr Blessing Mene. He is a serial social entrepreneur.

    His record includes  Bold Nutrition Company, and Unorthodox Feeds Innovation for Rural Enterprising Smallholder Farmers (UNFIRE).

    Mene set up UNFIRE to provide farmers with low-cost animal feeds, made from agricultural waste, such as mango seed kernels, elephant grass maize and cassava waste from milling plants.

    To enable him scale up production, Mene secured funds to increase production of insect protein as an alternative source to fish feed.

    He said he had benefited from  donors to pioneer sustainable feeds innovation for the livestock sector.

    What has helped him is his ability to write good proposals to investors on where and how to apply funds.

    Mene said social entrepreneurs need funds to start and sustain their initiatives.

    According to him, funding applications could be daunting. He added that mastering the skill is important.

    He explained that grant writing is also about telling stories, and that donors are moved by convincing stories in proposals.

    Mene said the biggest problem donors see when they read grant applications is that writers don’t follow the foundation’s guidelines.

    According to him,  training  on grant writing is critical to  helping applicants recognise what funders require  in proposals.

    Acceler hub founder Mrs Olanrewaju Oniyitan said the training was aimed at enlightning social entrepreneurs  on fundraising.

    According to her, social entrepreneurs and NGOs were facing challenges that hinder their ability to be effective advocates of social change.

    She attributed this to lack of funding.  She noted that while many organisations are struggling to survive, foreign donors are reducing their funding. She said donor priorities were shifting and some donors tend to make fewer grants.

    To enable organisations source funds, Mrs Oniyitan said  NGOs need the skills to present the most innovative, impactful and scalable proposals.

    She stressed that the hub organised the workshop to assist NGOs to improve their fundraisers and proposal writing skills.

    She noted that the hub was ready to strengthen NGOs with the required expertise to sustain their operations, increase their reach, and scale their impact.

    According to her, successful NGOs and social entrepreneurs research grants make applications frequently.

    She pointed out that rejection of grants was common and that a lot  of  organisations  never get funded, advising them never to  give up after the first no.

    She explained that grant writing is just like other types of fundraisers and is about relationships.

    Mrs Oniyitan said the hub is ready to advance the dreams of aspiring entrepreneurs through, building their basic business knowledge in addition to offering coaching, mentoring, and encouragement.

  • WIMBIZ seeks more leadership positions for women

    Nigeria is up against a momentous year on multiple fronts. On one hand, there is game-changing national elections. Economic agenda is at the heart of the nation’s efforts to overcome imbalances, implement reforms and accelerate growth. Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) is canvassing the emergence of women change agents on the political scene to promote growth, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    As Nigerians seek ways to boost  economic growth, relying on women will help a great deal.  Some countries have relied on them to boost their productivity and stimulate demand.

    Against this backdrop, a women movement is set to hold discussions on gender equality, with focus on the political and economic spheres.

    Speaking in Lagos, the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), Executive Director, Mrs Hansatu Adegbite, said   women have contributed to the growth of the country. She said women entrepreneurs and professionals have done a lot to drive the gross domestic product (GDP) and create jobs.

    Mrs Adegbite said across the business terrain, the association has  achieved much in terms of providing women in leadership positions and in boardrooms.

    What more can be done to boost the potential of women? She said WIMBIZ wants opportunities for women leaders.

    With so much evidence of successful female leadership, she added that so much is at stake for political and economic prospects, if  efforts are made to close the gender gap.

    She said the organisation supports higher female labour participation and more women in parliament.

    Eventful Limited Chief  Executive Mrs Yewande Zaccheaus said  WIMBIZ aims at assisting women vying for political offices.

    She explained  that women were, arguably, the most under-tapped resource for accelerating economic growth through political participation.

    As part of this, she said the organisation is  holding a town hall meeting today at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos, on how to help female politicians sell their programmes.

    The Managing Partner/CEO BrandZone, Mrs Chizor Malize,  said increased participation of women could provide the impetus for the development of the economy.

    She emphasised that gender equity has positive economic outcomes and that increasing the presence of women in politics is correlated to wider economic impact.

    She said the group believes  that more talented women should be in elected office and more need to be in the pipeline.

    To this end, she said the organisation is using the training to  broaden its networks and encourage more women to run, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is the smart thing to do.

    She said the forum would be moderated by the Executive Director, Enough is Enough Nigeria,Yemi Ademolekun,  adding that it would feature women candidates contesting the forthcoming elections.

  • Jobberman: Improved work place vital to employees’performance

    Government and private organisations have been urged to support workers to improve work place performance.

    A report: Millennials and the digital workplace: How to keep Millennials productive in the workplace, to tackle the risk of losing younger employees, published by Jobberman, a leading online job site, said hostile workplace situations across the country is negatively impacting on the productivity of the average Nigerian worker.

    Jobberman surveyed 5,380 actively employed millennial employees and uses Pan-African technology company, Andela, as a case-study, “We decided to use Andela as our case study since their brand embodies factors we have identified as crucial to ensuring productivity among millennial cohort,” said Jobberman Chief Executive Ayodeji Adewunmi.

    “To better understand millennials and productivity in the workplace, we surveyed some candidates, and their responses are specifically reflected in our survey results section. We interviewed key management staffs and numerous developers from Andela, gathered data from our internal database at Jobberman and from external research.”

    Adewunmi, however, highlighted three important factors that employers must adapt to. They include work culture, sense of pride, diversity and inclusion.

    He said:“Enhancing employee productivity should be a top priority for employers. As the workplace continues to evolve, a number of global trends are being adopted and currently taking centre stage in some African markets too.

    ”Keeping the millennials generation productive is not a one size fits all. Employers must implement tailor-made employee-centered practices to get the best out of this dynamic demographic; by comprehensively creating and empowering diverse audiences while emphasising an innovative flexible working culture.

    “Employers should encourage improved work culture rather than rigid systems. They should introduce flexible work hours, group recreation or team bonding activities and extensive healthcare programs, this will motivate them to accomplish their tasks at work,” Adewunmi added.

    He emphasised that a work environment that is driven by authentic values and equipped with the right tools, followed by learning and development opportunities, offers great competitive advantage, not only to millennials but also to their employers.

  • Businessman makes N4.5m monthly from Fura da Nono

    A 50-year-old man Alhaji Isah Ibrahim has said he makes an average sale of N150,000 daily (N4.5 million monthly) from the sale of  Fura da Nono in Kaduna.

    Isah, who runs Jalla Babbar Hausa Fura da Nono, on Lokoja road, in Rigasa area of Kaduna, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Fura da Nono is a drink served as meal in the North and it’s made from fermented cow milk and grounded millet.

    He said he started the business 10 years ago with a capital of N150,000.

    “I started with a capital of N150,000 with which I bought sugar, Nono (cow milk), ice block, blender, milk and yoghurt.

    “We make more sales during  the dry season. We sell 500 litres of Nono daily, which is equal to N150,000; we buy high-quality Nono from miIk companies and the Fura is made by my wife,” he said.

    Ibrahim said though he is not a Fulani man, the tribe known for the business, he learnt the business and modified it.

    “Our mixture is different from the ordinary Fura da Nono women hawk, because we add evaporated milk, yoghurt and coconut and then blend the mixture before serving.“

    Ibrahim, a secondary school leaver, said he has engaged six young men to work for him, and that his life has been transformed, with a house to show for it.

    He called on youths to be engaged instead of relying on the government for a living.

  • Centre grooms women as entrepreneurs

    Afterschool Centre for Career Development is a capacity development organisation committed to assisting aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. Esther Eshiet is one of the forerunners in the arena of women entrepreneurship. She is training women to venture into the business arena, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Nigerian women entrepreneurs are positioning themselves to break the glass ceiling. One of those who believe in this is Esther Eshiet. She is Faculty Lead, Afterschool Centre for Career Development (ACCD), a capacity development organisation committed to assisting entrepreneurs.

    ACCD  is a capacity development organisation committed to assisting young persons in transitional stages of their lives, set goals and walk them through the achievement of such goals. The centre provides growth opportunities as well as career development interventions for and with young people, enabling them to transit seamlessly from school to work.

    The  organisation works with  individuals  and firms  to enhance their productivity and with professionals to nurture their leadership capabilities.

    Saddened by the high burden of graduate unemployment in Nigeria, ACCD is providing undergraduates with workplace tools, services and social capital to become ‘strategic fits’ for the workplace. Beyond this, Miss Eshiet and her team are leading a movement for a change in the education and employment ecosystems in Africa through a career counselling model.

    For her, empowering    women is an important approach to alleviate rural poverty and promote sustainable development.

    Miss Eshiet is not only the owner of her own successful business but she also keeps herself busy by grooming other women to start their own businesses. She believes that when women are economically-empowered, money flows back into businesses and towards the health, education and well-being of families.

    She has participated in training programme for female business leaders. She then passed her learnings to other women entrepreneurs in her country, helping them to start their own businesses.

    In Cross River State and across Nigeria, she grows the skills of women entrepreneurs. She serves as a positive force for change.

    For her, women entrepreneurs have come far but they still have a long way to go.

    According to her, there are many issues that still need to be improved: access to finance, gender-responsive policies, family barriers and deconstructing stereotypes about women entrepreneurs.

    Others suffer from inadequate financial recourses and working capital.

    To address this, Miss Esther is ready to help women acquire skills, resources, and  offer  necessary support to grow and sustain their businesses.

    She is determined to see women in entrepreneurship contribute to job creation as the country reels under massive unemployment problem.

    She   is already collaborating with some other influential female entrepreneurs in the country to create a platform to encourage potential women entrepreneurs and to link them with their counterparts in other part of the country.

    As part of its objectives to proving learning and mentoring opportunities for young women in Nigeria,  ACCD and Vital Voices have  scheduled Global Mentoring Walk for March 9.

    The Vital Voices Global partnership envisions a community of empowered women living lives worthy of emulation and aims to inspire a new cadre of women leaders/entrepreneurs.

    According to her, the Global Mentoring Walk will connect Nigeria’s leading women business leaders with emerging business women around the country .

    She  explained that the  Walk will be bringing together 500 established women leaders and rising women professionals to walk together in 10 Nigerian cities including Calabar, Lagos, Ilorin ,Uyo, Kano, Port -Harcourt, Kaduna, Ibadan, Abeokuta and Abuja. Held on the same day in over 70 countries across the world, she noted Mentoring Walk unifies the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network fostering a global community of women to affirm their commitment to women’s leadership through mentoring. This year’s walk will be held Saturday, March 9 to celebrate International Women’s Day.