The Nation Newspaper

Category: Small Business and Entreprenuership

  • Netherlands to back entrepreneurs

    The  Deputy Ambassador, Netherlands Embassy, Lagos, Mr. Michel Deelen, has said his  country  is  ready  to support  Nigeria  to build  the capacities  of  start-ups.

    Speaking in Lagos, Deelen said his country had created an environment for start-ups to strive, having undertaken reforms to improve the investment climate and enhance policy clarity, consistency and predictability.

    Deelen said the Embassy was a broker between Nigeria and the Netherlands, and that it was more concerned with trade and industry as well as connection to markets.

    He said though Netherlands is a small country, with a population of 17 million, it has managed to develop a functional agric start-up ecosystem that has created jobs for its citizens.

    One programme the Embassy is supporting to achieve this is Food Connection Challenge (FCC), a business incubation initiative focused on solving post-harvest losses.

    FCC, supported by Netherland Government, has selected 17 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Republic of Benin and Nigeria to participate in the programme.

    In all, the FCC received 88 applications from Benin and 228 from Nigeria, with an independent jury selecting those SMEs they considered the most promising and the best fit for the programme.

    In Nigeria, 14 farms have been selected. The group engages in activities ranging from developing mobile solar-powered storage boxes to the processing of spices.

    The juries of the FCC Benin and Nigeria consisted of representatives of African Business Angel Network (ABAN), African Innovation Foundation, PUM, KIT, Aid Trade, NABC, the Dutch embassies in both countries, and other experts in the field of agribusiness and innovation in Africa.

    According to Deelen, FCC will take place throughout the year. In July, participants received a three – day business training. This month, the selected SMEs will be exposed to a day innovation session to improve business cases.

    Participants work on their ideas through (remote) coaching throughout this month and October.  According to Deelen, participants will receive pitch training in December. There will be a grand finale, where participants will present their ideas and winners will be selected.

    The winner of the challenge, according to him, will get EUR20, 000 ($23,000) in matching seed funding to implement his post-harvest solution.

    FCC is organised by BoP Inc and Crosswise Works for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of Agriculture.

     

  • Don’t compromise on quality, fashion designers advised

    A renowned fashion designer, Bolaji Olumoh, has admonished fashion designers and entrepreneurs not to compromise on quality.

    Olumoh, the Chief Executive Officer of Bolaji Sparks, a male fashion conglomerate, gave the advice in an interview in Abuja.

    The fashion chief with a clothing line ranging from traditional wears to shoes, among others, said the industry had its peculiar challenges, but admonished designers to be true to themselves.

    “Put your head up, be true to yourself and don’t compromise on quality, because after collecting money from your clients, quality is what will make them come back or run away from you.

    “Therefore, don’t compromise on the quality of your work and don’t try to exploit your clients; anything you cannot sell to people with low income, you will not be able to sell to anybody.

    “You need to be considerate in fixing the price for your products; making it big is a gradual process; don’t rush to hit it big, you may fall easily,’’ he advised.

    On the level of patronage for his brand ‘Bolaji Sparks’, the Kano-born graduate of Law from Ilorin, Kwara State, said it had been good, saying: “We keep growing by the day.”

    He, however, said the mentality of Nigerians about indigenous products has been encouraging. “But then, seeing the kind of quality we have, that perception is changing,” he said, adding that despite the high cost of fueling generators because of lack of steady electricity supply, the firm has been trying its best.

    The designer called on the government to step up sensitisation on Nigerian-made products, adding that the government should provide better infrastructure, soft loans and incentives for young fashion entrepreneurs.

    The fashion icon said that young Nigerians with passion for fashion should follow their passion to break-even in the country.

    “If fashion is your passion, pursue it; don’t do anything that is not your passion, you are just going to be a stranger there, you are not going to last.

    “However, if it is your passion, even if you fail, you will be happy to get up and get back on track,” Olumoh said.

  • Africa50 inaugurates headquarters

    Pan-African infrastructure investment platform, Africa50, has  inaugurated its headquarters in Casablanca.

    Africa50 is a pan-African infrastructure investment platform that contributes to Africa’s growth by developing and investing in bankable, environmentally sustainable, medium- to large-scale infrastructure projects, with focus on energy, transport, ICT, and midstream gas sectors.

    The event took place  in the presence of Secretary of State for Investment at the Ministry of Industry, Investment, Trade, and Digital Economy, Otman Ferdaous,  and President of the Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Salaheddine Mezouar.

    In his opening remarks, Africa50 CEO, Alain Ebobissé, said: “The Kingdom of Morocco is our host country and one of our founding shareholders. We are very grateful to the Moroccan authorities for the administrative support, trust, and goodwill they have provided since the start of our operations in Casablanca.”

    He also expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom of Morocco’s contribution to the shareholding of Africa50, which includes investments of $100 million from the government and $20 million from Bank Al-Maghrib.

    Ferdaous reiterated the government’s support for Africa50’s mandate, both in Morocco and across Africa. He explained that, beyond the economic benefits, the real value of infrastructure in Africa is its positive impact on the living conditions and the social and human development of the population.

    President Mezouar explained the key role that Africa50 can play in the development of viable infrastructure projects through its pragmatic approach and the diverse experience of the leadership team and staff. He also emphasised the comparative advantages Morocco highlighted in its bid for hosting Africa50’s headquarters, explaining that the Casablanca Finance City label had been a determinant.The inauguration of its headquarters is another landmark for Africa50.

  • ‘How I turned my hobby into business’

    Yetunde King a budding entrepreneur is the CEO of Y-Gold Spa and Beauty Planet. In this interview with Daniel Adeleye, the University of Lagos Creative Arts graduate tells the story of transforming her childhood hobby into a thriving business. Excerpts:

    How did you get into this line of business?

    I have always been a fashionista and to me it’s a good business to look good and looking good can always lift up ones spirit. I love anything fashionable and always like flawless skin right from when I was younger. And I have always been dreaming and aiming to go about it in order to help people to get their skin back and to rejuvenate their skins. So it has always been my passion to do that. Before I started the business proper, people always come and tell me that I look good and that I should help them on what they would use, anything I used they wanted to use and at that time I didn’t even know the importance of organic and chemical, I was just going to supermarket and buy cream. So I started making research on how I can do these things better and also help people. So that’s the whole idea and the more you do it the better you perform and it’s the people who bring people when they see the result of your products. And that’s how the popularity of our products has been increasing over the years.

    What have been the achievements so far?

    Being a skin therapist or cosmetologist, I base on organic skincare naturally made products, I don’t do chemicals. So I have different kind of packages; body maintenance packages for chocolate-fair people, I have for skin-light people and I have package for person that wants to be very white. I have Super Dee for half-cast skin; I have Arabian skin-lightening and different kinds of lightening. I also have hot cocoa choco for those who are dark and just want to maintain their skin. I have package for those who have stretch marks and package to clean any skin troubles.

    What does it requires to venture into beauty therapy and spa business?

    First of all, you need to go for the training because you can’t give what you don’t have. So you need training so that you’ll be able to stand and not just jump into it. Nowadays there are so many skincare therapists around that people run to many of them didn’t really go for intensive training. So you need training to learn the rudiments of the business. I had the opportunity of being trained by some Korean therapists that came around for an empowerment programme organised in my church. We didn’t pay what other people were paying outside then, because it was the benefit from the church. Even at that, the money was much then, I paid N120, 000. But we still believed that it was cheap because it was from the church. But nowadays there are online trainings where you pay as low as N1000 and there is some training where you pay N5, 000. So you see that all these cannot be an intensive training. Like when I was trained, we were trained both orally and practically. So online training won’t be like that, it will be only theoretical part of it. Again it’s not that I just make cream, they also taught us how to do body massage and its importance which I also practice now. There are different kinds of body massage therapy; therapeutic massage, relaxation massage and all that. Not just the skincare, it’s all about beauty. I also do penis enlargement, vagina tightening. There are many people who complain especially after child birth, their spouse may be complaining about their sexual organ so we also take care of that. So if you are trained online, you might not be exposed to all that and moreover, nobody will issue certificate for you when you are trained online. With my certificate I can go global.

    How is the business doing?

    Well, today I really thank God. The business is going on well because people are seeing the products and they are coming back to testify. They are also bringing more people, even when I don’t really do advertisements, customers bring more people. In fact, some of my customers complain that I don’t do before and after, that some people post on social media, but I don’t have time for all that as a result of my busy schedules. We do delivery to our customers both in and outside Nigeria. We have a lot of customers in countries like South Africa, UK, New York, Maryland and other US cities; we deliver through DHL and other delivery medium. And it’s always a friend that links a friend, it’s not that I am the one that knows all those people or I have been running advertisements.

    What are the challenges facing your kind of business?

    Honestly there have been ups and downs; there are a lot of challenges. Topmost among them is the Nigerian government is not really sincere about their claims to help SME grow nin the country. In a business like this you need money to push it. Sometimes I confront a lot of hurdles on delivery because I don’t have enough resources to meet up the demands. I made a lot of delivery yesterday and now it’s impacting negatively on the business which is not supposed to be. What if someone just walk in now and request for those products that we have delivered and I don’t have them? And when you talk about organic products, they are very expensive, their ingredients are very expensive. So to make all those things one really needs financial backing. I have a friend that after her training who could not go into the business because there was no money, so Nigerian government needs to live up to expectation by giving financial support for the growth of SME in the country. Though I learned there is loan for SME, but is it really accessible to all? The criteria of giving the loan are not easy to come by. Even the interest rate is more than your profit, and you won’t like to default and go bankrupt. But to me I believe slow and steady makes the race. That’s one area that has been challenging.

    Secondly is the customers themselves, a customer who is complaining of achenings of pimples or blemishes may walk to your shop and you give them a product to use with instructions. Some people will come back and say they forget, they won’t use it the way you instructed them to use it. Some are ‘too busy’ to take care of themselves and yet they want to look good. They will come back and be telling you that the product you gave them is not effective as you claimed. It’s only few among them who are honest that will tell you that they didn’t follow the instructions given to them. It’s not as if those products won’t work but it won’t be as fast as they desired. Then there are also crop of customers who want miracle cream, they want to buy that product today and see the result in two days. I don’t want to mention any particular product that people buy; all those cheap products around that spoil their skin, when they buy the cream today they see result tomorrow they will become white and in another two months more troubles come to their skins. But if you really want a good product and you don’t want trouble for yourself it’s always better to be calm on what you rob because we have different kinds of skins, our skins react differently. One person may use one product and work perfectly in four days, that is the nature of his/her skin. Another person may use that for 15 days and yet may not see result; the process will just be gradual on their skins. So if you are calm for the product to work very well you’ll get the result. But if you want a miracle cream and you want it to work very fast, that’s when you’ll run into all manner of skin therapists. I am not saying online skin therapists are not good but it’s difficult to ascertain the good ones from bad. You cannot know the people who are robbing chemicals and those who are doing organic unless you move close to them and sure if they are really skin therapists by training or those who became therapist overnight.

    So how do you deal with difficult customers like the cases you cited above?

    Yes, there are nagging and rude customers. But my training is really playing out here. Not only among customers alone even among my staff, there are betrayals everywhere. I have so many staff that had gone and I also have students that will take the products, even when they didn’t finish training, they will take my products and start doing their own product with my label on it and sell. Some of them will go and meet my customers and claim they are still working with me. There are so many of them but with God on my side, I have been able to cope through trainings upon trainings that I acquired and with words of encouragement and parental guidance, I am able to cope.

    There are many skin therapists and spa around; what really stands you out in this line of business?

    First, I think it’s almighty God because it’s God that gives idea and innovation to bring out unique pattern that’s not the same with anyone’s product. So God makes me stand out. Secondly, it’s creativity. I said earlier that I studied Creative Arts in University of Lagos. So I have been taught to be creative in whatever I do. The packages on my products are superb, I don’t use inferior ingredients to make my products, I use the best and that’s the reason people keep coming back after using them, so that’s what keeps me going in the business.

     

     

  • MTN partners Google to train 50 SMEs in Port Harcourt

    MTN Nigeria in collaboration with Google recently held a Digital business training tagged “Using Digital Tools to Maximize your Business” in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    Through the partnership, over 40 Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have benefited from this initiative, the one-day training which was the second phase of the initiative, held on Friday, 31st August, 2018.

    The training session was hands-on as the entrepreneurs were taught how to effectively promote businesses using various digital tools, with a focus on topics relating to owning business websites, running business ads, leveraging on social media engagement amongst others.

    MTN Nigeria Enterprise Business Manager, Bridget Enuma explained that SMEs are not just a driving force for economic growth in the country.

    “They are also the heartbeat of our community,” Enuma added. MTN Nigeria is committed to encouraging SMEs and big Enterprises adopt digital marketing strategies through Google programs and product solutions.

    The role of SMEs in any economy can never be underestimated as they continually contribute to economic growth with massive potential to generate employment opportunities for teeming population and generally be the backbone of the economy.

    MTN Nigeria has been focusing heavily on assisting Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across Nigeria develop. The initiative is aimed at improving digital skills of the people, which in turn is expected to improve SMEs.

  • Netherlands to support Nigerian entrepreneurs

    The  Deputy Ambassador, Netherlands Embassy, Lagos, Mr. Michel Deelen, has said his  country  is  ready  to support  Nigeria  to build  the capacities  of  start-ups.

    Speaking in Lagos, Deelen said his country had created an environment for start-ups to strive, having undertaken reforms to improve the investment climate and enhance policy clarity, consistency and predictability.

    Deelen said the Embassy was a broker between Nigeria and the Netherlands, and that it was more concerned with trade and industry as well as connection to markets.

    He said though Netherlands is a small country, with a population of 17 million, it has managed to develop a functional agric start-up ecosystem that has created jobs for its citizens.

    One programme the Embassy is supporting to achieve this is Food Connection Challenge (FCC), a business incubation initiative focused on solving post-harvest losses.

    FCC, supported by Netherland Government, has selected 17 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Republic of Benin and Nigeria to participate in the programme.

    In all, the FCC received 88 applications from Benin and 228 from Nigeria, with an independent jury selecting those SMEs they considered the most promising and the best fit for the programme.

    In Nigeria, 14 farms have been selected. The group engages in activities ranging from developing mobile solar-powered storage boxes to the processing of spices.

    The juries of the FCC Benin and Nigeria consisted of representatives of African Business Angel Network (ABAN), African Innovation Foundation, PUM, KIT, Aid Trade, NABC, the Dutch embassies in both countries, and other experts in the field of agribusiness and innovation in Africa.

    According to Deelen, FCC will take place throughout the year. In July, participants received a three – day business training. This month, the selected SMEs will be exposed to a day innovation session to improve business cases.

    Participants work on their ideas through (remote) coaching throughout this month and October.  According to Deelen, participants will receive pitch training in December. There will be a grand finale, where participants will present their ideas and winners will be selected.

    The winner of the challenge, according to him, will get to EUR20, 000 ($23,000) in matching seed funding to implement his post-harvest solution.

    FCC is organised by BoP Inc. and Crosswise Works for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of Agriculture.

     

  • Learning from the ‘masters’

    Through its innovative platform tagged ‘MessedUp,’ Smepeaks, a Lagos-based business-media firm, has stepped up its empowerment programme for small businesses. At its maiden conference, the firm exposed aspiring entrepreneurs to some of the problems of business ownership and how to avoid them. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Smepeaks, a Lagos-based business media firm dedicated to empowering small businesses, has never hidden its intention to avail aspiring entrepreneurs of the much-needed resources and insight to launch and sustain successful businesses.

    The firm last week organised the maiden conference’ aimed at helping budding entrepreneurs to learn from the failures of successful business owners.

    The conference, held in Lagos, drew strength from the firm’s innovative platform tagged ‘MessedUp,’ which enables young entrepreneurs to learn from the failures of other entrepreneurs.

    The forum, aptly themed ‘Milking timeless lessons from founders’ failures,’ featured various founders who failed at one point or the other. By sharing their experiences, young and up-coming entrepreneurs learnt how to avoid the pitfalls to succeed.

    One of the speakers, the Chief Executive, Total Infotech & Telecoms, Olaniyi Adeosun, said he started as a banker. He said his was a clerical job without challenges. He, however, said as an innovator, he felt that he was in the wrong place.

    He, therefore, resigned and pursued his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Adeosun, who started with a business information publication, admitted that the business eventually turned into his big break.

    Today, Adeosun provides business directories service to phone users by text messages. He was an instant success. But as time went on, he realised that one of his challenges was attracting enough capital to expand the business.

    The budding entrepreneur said he faced rejection from potential investors. He, however, listed some of the attributes that worked in his favour as reliability, consistency and the ability to find innovative solution to any problem.

    Adeosun’s ability to create tech solutions to solve every problem tossed on his path to success endeared him to clients, including his bank manager who he said stood by him.

    According to him, his bank manager connected him to new clients who assisted him to recover and bounce when the business initially nose-dived due to lack of capital. He, therefore, counseled entrepreneurs at the conference to be resilient and consistent if they must survive.

    As Adeosun admonished, an entrepreneur who remains resilient and consistent has a better chance of being backed by investors. He said investors and financiers are always looking for older, seasoned and experienced business owners, who made mistakes and were able to learn from them.

    He also said organisations want more than one-size-fits-all-products; it would be an advantage to have diverse products and revenue streams so that if one segment of the business experiences turbulence, the others would cover up.

    Ebony Crystals & Gold Limited Chief Executive, Mr. Lanre Oyenuga, said hard work and consistency are key to business success. He was exposed to entrepreneurship at a very young age. His parents were in business in Oyo State, so, he grew up and was exposed to business from an early stage.

    He was engaged by Dunlop Plc as a sales executive.

    Oyenuga rose to the position of export manager before he quit his job to start tyre retreading. He explained that tread is important because it is that portion of the tyre that is in contact with the road. Tread, according to him, comprises 20 to 25 per cent of the whole tyre body, which commands about 80 per cent of the manufacturing cost of a tyre.

    He said applying a new tread on the body of a worn tire gives it a fresh life. The fresh life comes at half the price of a new tyre. He said the setting up of his Retreading Centre in Lagos was to provide quality retreading service to truck owners customers. But the business has not been without its own ups and downs.

    Oyenuga said, for instance, that a man he sought financial assistance to clear the treading equipment he ordered from India, which was held at the port, decided to take over the business.  When he couldn’t resolve the dispute with his financier, he decided to leave the factory and equipment for him. He was left with nothing. He said it was at that point he launched into real estate business.

    As a real estate broker, Oyenuga makes money from commissions from successful real estate transactions. This also means that he could work for days without making any money. For him, every day was a struggle. But he said as time went on, the business blossomed and started raking in millions.

    Oyenuga advised other aspiring entrepreneurs to be persistent. He said the other values learnt as a young businessman are hard work and consistency. According to him, consistency and focus are critical to business success.

    Also, the Co-Founder/Director of Projects & Partnerships, Fastlaunch Incubator, Mr. George Akande, said his logistics venture once failed, an experience which helped him in his business journey. He, however, confessed that he was far from being an ideal entrepreneur.

    Akande noted that though there are several reasons entrepreneurs who fail have a better chance of reaching success, one of them that stand out is experience. According to him, the level of business acumen and hands-on experience, along with patience can give a business the best chance of success.

    The other thing, he emphasised, is the passion an entrepreneur brings to bear launching his business. He explained that Fastlaunch is a social enterprise hub designed for social entrepreneurs who wish to turn social challenges into business opportunities that bring benefits to the greatest number of people.

    Akande said Fastlaunch Incubator provides business counselling and training; assistance in entering markets, developing technology-related products and providing a supportive environment for new start-ups.

    Smepeaks Team Lead, Grace Akinosun  said the conference provides a platform for people to learn from entrepreneurs’ failures.

  • Don’t compromise on quality, fashion designers advised

    A renowned fashion designer, Bolaji Olumoh, has admonished fashion designers and entrepreneurs not to compromise on quality.

    Olumoh, the Chief Executive Officer of Bolaji Sparks, a male fashion conglomerate, gave the advice in an interview in Abuja.

    The fashion chief with a clothing line ranging from traditional wears to shoes, among others, said the industry had its peculiar challenges, but admonished designers to be true to themselves.

    “Put your head up, be true to yourself and don’t compromise on quality, because after collecting money from your clients, quality is what will make them come back or run away from you.

    “Therefore, don’t compromise on the quality of your works and don’t try to exploit your clients; anything you cannot sell to people with low income, you will not be able to sell to anybody.

    “You need to be considerate in fixing the price for your products; making it big is a gradual process; don’t rush to hit it big, you may fall easily,’’ he advised.

    On the level of patronage for his brand ‘Bolaji Sparks’, the Kano-born graduate of Law from Ilorin, Kwara State, said it had been good, saying: “We keep growing by the day.”

    He, however, said the mentality of Nigerians about indigenous products has been encouraging. “But then, seeing the kind of quality we have, that perception is changing,” he said, adding that despite the high cost of fueling generators because of lack of steady electricity supply, the firm has been trying its best.

    The designer called on the government to step up sensitisation on Nigerian-made products, adding that the government should provide better infrastructure, soft loans and incentives for young fashion entrepreneurs.

    The fashion icon said that young Nigerians with passion for fashion should follow their passion to break-even in the country.

    “If fashion is your passion, pursue it; don’t do anything that is not your passion, you are just going to be a stranger there, you are not going to last.

    “However, if it is your passion, even if you fail, you will be happy to get up and get back on track,’’ Olumoh said.

     

  • The Power of YOU

    What’s in it for me?

    That’s the question on the minds of your audience every time they read your advert copies and business documents. No one really cares about your product until you show them how they will benefit from it. Consider these examples:

    A. Finger-licking Cuisine makes the best seafood dishes ever. The CEO, Mr. Patewo, is a multiple award-winning caterer who was recognised by the Queen of England in 2017 for his scintillating recipes. Visit them today to enjoy the most delicious meals from across the world.

    B. At Finger-licking Cuisine, we make your fantasies a reality with our deliciously scrumptious seafood dishes. Our menu includes a wide variety of seafood dishes from Asia, Africa, North America, the Caribbean and Europe. Every bite, every sip, every crunch will transport you to realms of ethereal foodsctasy. Let us pamper your taste buds and stomachs. Visit Finger-licking Cuisine today.
    Which of these advert copies do you prefer? Which of them will make you want to, if necessary, break the bank to visit it? Your guess is as good as mine.
    There are two key elements infused in the second copy:
    i. It speaks directly to you, the prospective patron, and feeds your need for recognition.
    ii. It appeals to your senses.
    Now, you know what to focus on when writing for your audience, don’t you? Go ahead and create content that will turn your prospects into fans. Make your reader the centre of attention.
    For more tips, keep tabs and read the next editions.
    My name is Ini Akpan and I love to help your business make profit through copywriting. Do you have questions and suggestions? Please send them to iniwrites@sw-advantage.com. I’d love to listen to you.

  • Block chainjobs, business opportunities

    Block chain,a technology, which enable businesses to record transactions on a digital ledger which cannot be altered is creating jobs and business opportunities. This is because many international finance businesses are exploring the technology to protect their data. Many Nigerians are acquiring skills to enable them find jobs across the industry, Daniel Essiet reports.

    According to experts, blockchain technology provides a way to continuously maintain and verify digital records in “blocks” that can be shared between various parties.

    Also called “distributed ledger technology”, it means ledgers can be updated instantly in any number of locations. The information can never be erased.

    High-profile institutions, such as the World Bank, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), think it could be a force for good, helping the poorest of the poor

    For instance, IBM, Microsoft and Accenture accounted for about half of $700 million in global revenues related to block chain, according to Oppenheimer analysts Shaul Eyal and Tanner Hoban.

    As  emerging technology that transparently tracks transactions, the founder, Your Block chain project, Victor Alagbe said it has created job prospects.

    According to him, demand for workers is rising:  and there are  a lot of opportunities  out there for those looking to get into the field.

    Addressing a forum organised by Wennovation Hub in Lagos, the Founder, Your Block chainproject,said estimated $500billion block chain technology industry is capable of removing millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

    He explained that the new technology is redefining the way people transact businesses, adding that it is changing the way people buy and sell, interact and verify the authenticity of everything from property titles to food.

    According to him, the   openness of the internet with the security of cryptography is combining to make block chain the faster, safer way to verify key information and establish trust.

    He said block chain jobs are increasing because the technology has been adopted by both start-ups and more established corporations.

    He said companies and startups are looking for developers and architects in the field of block chain development.

    As the technology matures, he said the demand for developers and other specialisations has increased. Apart from professionals from a tech or financial background, he said there are jobs for people with experience in marketing, public relations and operations.

    Alagbe noted that block chain technology is here to stay; urging Nigerians to acquire skills that will enable them create actionable strategies for leveraging technology to provide solutions across a wide variety of brands, industries, and markets.

    Co-Founder/Executive Director, Wennovation Hub, Wole Odetayo, said the firm emphasised the importance of job creation in all our programmes.

    With a mission to inspire and empower entrepreneurs to solve their immediate socio-economic challenges by leveraging technology, resources and network collaboratively, he said the organisationis fostering innovation among the youth.