The Nation Newspaper

Category: Small Business and Entreprenuership

  • Soaring with Ethanol

    Soaring with Ethanol

    Ethanol production is winding its way into the economy. It has the potential of aiding electricity generation, food and beverages production. Increasing demand for the ‘spirit’ is helping cassava growers earn greater returns, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    In recent years, the ethanol industry is getting more lucrative as its patronage is swelling. The outlook for it remains bright with some manufacturers getting good revenue. But to stay in business, the supply chain for the raw material, cassava, must not be broken. Hence, cassava farmers are essential to them to meet the growing demand for ethanol.

    A  local producer of ethanol, Allied Atlantic Distilleries Limited (AADL), located   in Lusada, Igbese community of Ogun State, ranks as the  largest cassava based ethanol producing company in Africa. An ethanol factory requires approximately 250 tons of cassava daily. This has created  income opportunities for agro  entrepreneurs. Already over 8,000 farmers within 70-km radius of Igbesa, covering Ogun and Oyo states, are involved in the programme. More farmers are been engaged and the factory is providing more than 40,000 indirect jobs.

    Indeed, Ethanol production provides a savory opportunity to improve livelihoods, starting at the farm and continuing all the way with those who enjoy it. AADL Director, Mr. Rajavelu Rajasekar, said his company is the first cassava based ethanol producing factory in Nigeria, producing nine million litres of ethanol per year, amounting to three to four per cent country’s requirement. According to him, the remaining 96 to 97 percent deficit is still been imported from Brazil and India, among other countries.

    Rajasekar said: “We produce 30,000 litres of ethanol per day and we produce everyday throughout the year. We consume between 225 to 250 tons of cassava everyday.  We are probably the biggest consumer of cassava in the country as an industry and the mill runs everyday of the year unless we are suffocated by non-supply of cassava supply.”

    “We consume up to 75,000 tons of cassava per year and we produce nine million litres of ethanol per year. Nigeria imports close to 400million litres of ethanol in a year and Nigeria is a dependent import country of ethanol,”he explained.

    He continued: “Out of the 400million litres that the country consumes in a year, AADL produces only nine million litres which is only three to four percent requirement of what the country needs so the remaining 96 to 97per cent is still being imported by Nigeria from various countries such as Brazil, India and other countries.”

    According to him, “the truth is that we are still not getting enough supply from the market. “Since we started producing in 2013, there has not been a year without full supply of cassava,”he said. To run a seamless supply of raw materials, Rajasekar disclosed that his company had partnered the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) to boost mass cassava production through mechanisation.

    He disclosed that Nigeria spends about N160billion annually to import about 400 million litres of ethanol for industrial use.

    To reverse  this negative trend, Rajasekar said various governments must encourage investors to engage in mass production of cassava, arguing that  the days of cassava being perceived as a poor man’s crop in Nigeria was long gone. “Cassava is now an industrial crop  capable of reviving the economy of the country,” he said.

    Nigeria, in his view, as the world largest producer of cassava, is not producing enough cassava to meet its local consumption. While stressing that his factory was not getting enough cassava to meet its requirement, Rajasekar stressed: “The demand for cassava is now higher than ever and Nigeria needs to plant more cassava to meet its demand.”

    African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) Communications and Partnerships Officer for West Africa, Umaru Abu added that AATF partnered AADL to serve as off-taker of cassava produced by famers in Nigeria, saying: “We must ensure that there is market for their produce because we realised that some farmers in the past usually complain that they had so much cassava on their farms, but they didn’t have buyers for them.”

    With the ethanol extraction factory, farmers are no longer worried about market for their cassava. According to him, farmers now see the ethanol plant as a good market for their produce. About 55 per cent of ethanol being imported is used for domestic production of alcoholic spirits, and the remaining 45 per cent for other industrial uses, which include, food  and  beverage production.

  • Push for more women in hospitality business

    Top executives in the hospitality business are pushing for more opportunities for women in the industry. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    Nigeria offers potentials for the development and growth of small entrepreneurial businesses in the hospitality industry. Since the 1990s, big and small firms within the industry had developed in all parts of the country, recording successes, from hotels to rental businesses.

    The concern, however, is that a few women have been involved.  To reverse this, Founder/President, Women in Hospitality Nigeria (WIHN), Mrs Amaka Amatokwu-Ndekwu, is leading a campaign to provide jobs and entrepreneurship training for more women to explore opportunities in that sector.

    She has encountered a lot of women who have dreams. They include those who  want to build hotels that meet international standards, the kinds that tourists may frequent, and others looking for  career  advancement.

    The impact of the campaign will not only increase the number of  female entrepreneurs running hospitality businesses, but it will increase women employers, hiring other women to reduce overall unemployment rates.  But they will need to be trained on how to manage such investments to generate highest returns.

    Speaking with The Nation after her group’s  event in Lagos, Amatokwu-Ndekwu  stressed that  women needed to be  empowered  to succeed  as entrepreneurs  and competent  operators  in  hospitality businesses.

    According to her, the hospitality industry offers a wide range of exciting job opportunities.

    “But many people immediately think about hotel work when they hear the word hospitality,”she said. She  explained  that individuals seeking  career  opportunities  can choose among a number of viable employment sectors, including travel and tourism, and various food and beverage industries.

    To succeed in any of these dynamic fields, she noted that training cannot be underestimated.

    For those with the proper education and drive, she maintained that the opportunities in the hospitality industry are limitless, stressing that hospitality and tourism have one of the highest potentials for expansion, adding that the growth of the industry fuels an exceedingly quick rate of career evolution.

    According to her, the organisation is determined to explore the best ways to help women to start, operate, and expand   hotel and other hospitality businesses.

    According to her,  the organisation was ready to offer entrepreneurship programmes and teach young entrants to understand strategic market opportunities.

  • Rotary gives traders N1m micro credit

    The Rotary Club of Ikoyi, District 9110, Nigeria has presented N1million micro-credit to the Sura Market Traders Association in Lagos.

    Dr. Adewale Ogunbadejo, the District Governor, District 9110, at the presentation at Westood Hotel, Ikoyi noted that the club’s commitment to executing projects that touches lives had helped to empower the less-privileged.

    Ogunbadejo urged the traders to use the loan properly and ensure that those who benefit reciprocate the kind gesture by using the loans to enhance their business and ensure a quick turnaround. “This will enable more market men and women participate in the micro credit scheme, to improve their businesses and better their lives and those around them,” he said.

    The investment, according to the President of Rotary Club of Ikoyi Isichei Osamgbi, is aimed at impacting beneficiaries positively, noting that Rotarians, traders as well as the market leaders and delegates from the supervising financial institution, Boctrust Microfinance Bank, are committed to the delivery of the micro credits early in the Rotary year to enable more people benefit, by providing them capital for their business.

    Osamgbi, while pointing out that the micro credit scheme is one of its strategic projects for the 2017/2018 Rotary year, noted that it was planned by club members that the market men and women needed all the support they could get to help grow their businesses.

    The Rotary president noted that all over the world, government alone could not do everything, but works better when the citizens cooperate together to build the nation, by contributing their quota in whatever little way they can to support.

    In his response, on behalf of the traders, the Market Leader (Baba Oja), Mr. Wahab Adeyemi Fashina, thanked the club for the gesture. He said the traders would do their best to put the fund into good use and uphold the trust and faith reposed in them.

    He noted that if most non-governmental organisations joined hands to do good in the society like the Rotary Club of Ikoyi, life would be better for Nigerians.

  • Economic recovery: Food processing to the rescue

    Economic recovery: Food processing to the rescue

    Nigeria’s food processing industry is valued at $10 billion. It also provides an estimated 10 million direct jobs. Despite being one of the world’s largest producers of agricultural products, Nigeria has failed to derive maximum benefit from the industry. Experts blame this on logistics and storage issues, which, according to them, have led to waste over the years. DANIEL ESSIET looks at the prospects and problems of an industry that holds promises of driving growth.

    As the search for Nigeria’s economic recovery intensifies, not a few experts believe that the nation’s rich resource base, particularly in the agricultural sector, has the greatest capacity to sustainably return the economy to the recovery path. They cite Nigeria’s agro climatic condition, which is suitable for commercial agriculture, as an added advantage.

    The experts are, however, quick to point out that, despite Nigeria’s comparative advantage in agric, lack of a vibrant food processing sector, which is a significant component of the agro industry, has continued to deny the country the benefits from agric.

    Easysauces Nigeria Limited Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jide Adedeji, put the disturbing situation in perspective when he said Nigeria’s level of food processing and value addition were very low. This, he lamented, is despite that the food processing sector has huge potential to create jobs.

    Adedeji, whose firm manufactures sauce and tomato paste, among others, also said with a vibrant food processing industry, the agro industry was capable of contributing substantially to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and boosting the manufacturing sector as the majority of input in manufacturing are principally agricultural products.

    Indeed, Nigeria produces millions of tonnes of raw food materials from plants and animals that can be refined, stored and transformed into various usable products for local and export markets.

    A robust food processing sector also enhances the development of industries utilising produce such as rice, maize, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and sugarcane. It also increases the seasonal availability of foods and extends their shelf life.

    Adedeji and other agro-experts, however, expressed concern that Nigeria’s food processing industry lacked adequate post-harvest infrastructural facilities and technologies, such as proper transportation and storage facilities, which result to enormous wastage of produce, particularly perishable commodities.

    The National President, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr. Victor Iyama, lamented the disturbing level of wastage of agriculture produce due to poor processing, noting that this was happening at a time an estimated 200 million population needed to be fed annually.

    He observed that the high wastage level was a clear indication that the processing sector’s infrastructure can’t cope with crop surpluses. Noting that the perishability was high in key sectors, such as fruits & vegetables, he said supply chain improvements were required if the industry must tap into the opportunities the sub-sectors offer.

    A Lagos Business School Industry Report accessed by The Nation also identified poor processing as a challenge across the sub-sectors in agric. According to the report, this has led to rejection and wastage of various agricultural products. It added that the challenge was traceable to poor preservation techniques.

    According to experts in the agro industry, the resultant huge loss of revenues to Nigeria and severe hardship inflicted on farmers and consumers meant that Nigeria has so failed to derive benefits from her food processing industry (FPI) estimated at $10 billion.

     

    Other limiting factors

    Nigeria’s food sector’s regulatory environment has also been identified as a major factor slowing down food processing. There has been incoherence and inconsistency in the regulatory environment where multiple administering authorities have led to a complex regulatory system.

    For the sector to grow, Country Manager, Harvest Plus Nigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona, said the regulatory system must be industry-friendly, simplified and well integrated without additional burden on various operators in the value chain.

    Ilona pointed out that it was important that the government gives more concessions to the food industry, especially to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to boost their potential to create jobs.

    Apart from the challenge of regulation, the industry also lacks the required investment. The heavy post-harvest losses of farm products has been due to the shortage of suitable infrastructure such as cold chain, packaging centres, value adding centres, and modernised abattoirs, among others, which require huge investment.

    Stakeholders say lack of safe and efficient storage system to ensure continuous supply of agricultural commodities in the market is an issue.

    For instance, the Project Director, Cassava Adding Value to Africa (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo, stressed that storage and processing were critical in ensuring that the commodities produced at a particular period are available for consumption whenever and wherever they are required.

    He observed that, in most parts of the country, significant quantities of products harvested are lost to lack of storage and processing facilities.

    Estimating Nigeria’s post-harvest produce losses at 40 percent, Adebayo attributed poor infrastructure to government’s neglect, lack of finance and poor maintenance culture.

    The Lagos Business School Industry Report also said access to credit is a major issue.  The report said due to the nature of the industry, creditors found it a high risk to invest in the agricultural sector. “Where available, credit comes at very high rate, which erodes the farmer’s margin and defeats the purpose of the investment,” the report stated.

    Worst hit by lack of access to credit are SMEs, which form the bulk of operators in the food processing sector. According to the President, Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (AMEN), Prince Saviour Iche, SMEs find it difficult to access government incentives and finances.

    He said this hampers their growth and the quality of their produce as well as their adherence to global quality and standards. It also makes marketing of Nigeria-made processed foods less competitive in overseas markets particularly in developed countries where loans are at longer terms.

    Indeed, loans for infrastructure projects in the food processing sector are usually given at longer tenures or terms in the rest of the world. But in Nigeria, such loans are given at short terms, most times at timeline of five-10 years. This means that the entire loan needs to be paid back in five years.

    Besides, Adebayo pointed out that some agric processing projects are not like traditional infrastructure projects, as the promoters have to deal with issues such as environmental and climatic conditions, which are not in their control. According to him, the gestation period is much longer compared to other sectors.

    As if these are not enough to discourage operators in the sector, perceived lack of trust has made it difficult to market Nigerian processed foods across developed markets.

    For instance, Prof. Stephen Fapohunda of the Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babcock University, Ogun State, noted that operators needed to cooperate with government to enable them comply with the requirements for the certification system for processed foods that are aligned with global standards.

     

    Lack of skills also a sore point

    Although the local food processing industry boasts large workforce, its level of education remains low, translating into low skills. Stakeholders complain that the industry has been experiencing acute shortage of skilled and trained manpower, which is a critical factor negatively impacting its competitiveness.

    Adedeji admitted that the potential of the food processing industry is huge and that what is required to reposition it to contribute to economic recovery and growth is highly skilled manpower and innovation in raw materials sourcing and marketing as well as investments in technology and Research and Development (R&D).

    While reiterating that the market for processed food is huge, the expert emphasised that the biggest challenge is finding people with the right skills set. He noted that although there are research institutions in agriculture and food sector, there is scarcity of industry specific hands.

     

    Experts list ways to revitalise food processing sector

    Changing consumer trend, which tends to favour the consumption of locally sourced foods is said to be creating opportunities for farmers to bring their products to the market and ultimately, encourage operators in the food processing industry. With Nigeria producing surplus food that is raw material for processed food, the experts consider the potential of the local food processing industry to be huge.

    But to realise this potential, experts say that there is the need to vigorously implement the Federal Government’s Green Alternative, which is a road map towards diversifying the country’s economy through agriculture.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, had explained that the policy objective of the document, which has a four-year implementation period (2016 to 2020), was to make agriculture the biggest alternative to oil and gas business in the bid to diversify the economy.

    He said the government was aware of the sufferings of many families caused by food shortage. Ogbeh, however, stated that government was working hard to reverse the situation through the implementation of various agricultural programmes.

    This, experts say, could be done by strengthening farm–market linkages and leveraging on the potential of the food processing sector.

    Ilona,  suggests, for instance, that the government should shortlist key produce segments with specific growth opportunities based on production strengths and competitive advantages. According to him, the nation’s high consumption rate encourages the growth of the food processing industry.

    For Iyama, a partnership between the government and the private sector would dramatically transform the food processing sector and contribute to economic recovery. He added that apart from improving rural livelihood, it will also bridge the rural-urban divide.

     

    Unfettered access to FDI

    Allowing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the sector, according to Ilona, will also boost its productivity by reducing post-harvest wastage and helping crop diversification. He, therefore, said there is the need to open the floodgate of FDI for the sector to thrive.

    Besides, Ilona and other experts called on the government to revitalise the Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZs) introduced by the former Agriculture Minister, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, to develop common infrastructure for food processing units, similar to special economic zones (SEZs).

     

  • Turning adversity into prosperity

    Turning adversity into prosperity

    When it comes to turning a bad situation to a golden opportunity, the award must go to Chief Executive, SB Telecoms, Afolabi Abiodun and Chief Executive, InfoGraphics, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu. Their businesses went into serious debts. Today, they have turned their adversities to prosperity. They shared their experiences at the monthly CFA’s SMEs hangout in Lagos, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    Bouncing back after heavy debts may not be easy, but it can be done. Chief Executive, SB Telecoms, Afolabi Abiodun, and Chief Executive, InfoGraphics, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu did it. They told participants at the August edition of CFA’s Startups Hangout in Lagos, how self-belief could turn adversity to advantage.

    As a small business owner, Abiodun is no stranger to adversity. What sets him apart, however, is how he turned adversity to opportunity.

    Abiodun built SB Telecoms Limited from a recharge card vendor business in 2004 to a success story in Information Communication Technology ICT), telecommunications brokerage and security devices.

    His mother and grandmother, described as “entrepreneurial folk”, laid a firm foundation for his future entrepreneurial pursuit, with  holiday jobs he did for them.

    For Abiodun, seeking paid employment was never in the picture.

    After graduating from Lagos State Polytechnic with an Higher National Diploma (HND) in Urban and Regional Planning, Abiodun decided to  venture into business.

    He started as a phone voucher vendor with N6000, hawking recharge cards and providing mobile phones for people to make calls.

    He was selling mobile phone recharge cards to low-to-middle income customers on Lagos Island.

    Then, telecoms products were not so diverse. The most conspicuous products were scratch cards and phones.

    Daily, hundreds of customers thronged into his shops and the turnover increased tremendously.

    He had established a few retail outlets serving networks, principally Starcomm and Intercellular that existed then.  But he ran into trouble. In his bid to expand the business, Abiodun decided to take a loan from the bank. To enable him meet its conditions, his grandmother offered her house as collateral. After getting the loan, there was an increase in business volume. However, he discovered the profits level plummeted. Soon, the  business went into murky waters. In 2007, while supplying new phones, his competitor suddenly brought in refurbished phones from China and this affected his sales.The phones were sold at heavily discounted prices. The refurbished mobiles phones emerged as a leading category for driving margins. Consequently, the loan grew to about N28 million.  He was traumatised. He had two options – waste time feeling sorry for himself, or drew a plan to repay the loan. However, the dilemma forced him to abandon his business and fled Nigeria to Ghana. Because of his skills in software development, he immediately picked a job there. He didn’t stay on the job for one month, when he got a mail that his grandmother had been hospitalised after she heard that he had fled. He was devastated. He resolved to return home to resuscitate the business.  He restarted his business from where he missed it – a call centre outlet. He got back and approached the bank to renegotiate the loan.

    Through all of this, he said he found the strength to keep going and address his problems.

    During investigation, he discovered that the bank manager was the main reason for the growing bad loan.

    Consequently, the bank manager was penalised while the bank structured a repayment payment for him.

    Afolabi diversified his business operations to enable him meet his monthly loan obligation. That is the story of the little beginning of SB Telecoms and Devices, a company that evolve from a call centre outlet into telecoms solutions brokerage.

    It started powering solutions in the ICT space, which helped him to pay back the renegotiated loan. He negotiated deals with partners asking for shared stakes. The strategy worked.  He repaid the debts.

    The company created Time Attendance Management Software (TAMS), a human resource application that manages employees from recruitment to retirement. Since then, he has achieved wealth that he previously thought impossible.

    More importantly, he understands the hurdles that financial problems bring on. As one who has experienced the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, he maintained that entrepreneurship also requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

    Mba-Uzoukwu, also a serial entrepreneur, has been involved in the establishment of over 13 start-ups. The business giant, who also became a mayor in the ICT industry, made  huge amounts of money running a successful company. He related his story of tackling failure head on and how he managed to overcome crippling business debts.

    After achieving success as one of Microsoft outstanding partners in Africa, his organisation went into financial ruin and collapsed.

    He was aware the company needed to respond to the crisis and deep downturn in consumer spending. But he didn’t want to do so in a way that would hurt the brand more than it would help the bottom line.

    There were sleepless nights and months of anxiety on how the business can make money to get out of crisis. Through it all, he kept working to develop new services. Then, customers returned. While many of the topics covered practical aspects of dealing with failure, all the speakers emphasised the psychological importance of self-belief and trusting one’s instincts.

    The convener, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr., said the economy offers  a lot of potential for aspiring entrepreneur.

  • Finding success in poultry businesses

    Finding success in poultry businesses

    Natnupreneur is promoting poultry entrepreneurship. The initiative is helping entrepreneurs to set up thriving and profitable poultry businesses. DANIEL ESSIET writes.

    Then Chief Executive, Kadopo Farms, Dapo Robinson, started his poultry business, he had 2,000 chickens.

    Today, the business has grown to about 10,000 chickens. It grew with the help of Natnupreneur, the foremost broiler outgrower scheme, run by NatnudO Foods Limited.

    To participate, Robinson, a beneficiary, said the farmer must set up appropriate facilities with capacity to stock a minimum of 2,000 birds with corresponding equipment (feeders and drinkers).

    The farm and equipment  are inspected by Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery (AFSH) to ascertain that they meet required standards and specification.

    Following the certification of  farmers of their farm facility for stocking by AFSH, Robinson said  the farmers are to collect Day Old Chicks (DOC)s, feeds and other inputs to run the farm.

    According to him, farmers grow their birds attain standard weight of 1.8-2kg within 35 to 45 days.     AFSH, he added, buys back the bird at maturity, 49 days maximum, at the agreed price. Also, the farmer gets payment from AFSH five days post-delivery.

    Natnupreneur Coordinator Mr. Gbolade Adewole has affirmed the commitment of the scheme to help boost supply of high quality locally bred chicken for consumption, and making quality chicken available and affordable.

    The scheme, according to him, provides the broiler farmers with input, such as day old chicks (DOC), feeds, drugs and technical advice; in addition, the scheme provides buy back guarantee for the farmers.

    Adewole said farmers, registered about seven week-broiler production scheme, have consistently enjoyed between 7.5 per cent and 15 per cent profit on investment per cycle.

    The chickens produced by farmers are bought back by the scheme for supply to fast food and other retail outlets.

    According to him, farmers who participate in the scheme can increase their turnovers with production cycles of four to five times a year.

    He said there were openings for more Nigerians to take advantage of opportunities in poultry business with local producers supplying only 450,000 tonnes out of  1.5million tonnes which is national consumption figures.

    The business model, according to the Chief Executive, Honey Dew Farms, Ibadan, Oyo State, Mrs Remi Tomori has proven effective and impactful as many farmers have a significant source of income.

    Beneficiaries, according to her, have access to poultry breeds that produce more meat and eggs in less time than local varieties, thus resulting in better income and nutritional outcomes.

    According to her, there is an arrangement between the scheme and financial institutions to help  farmers in need of funding to do  the business.

  • Preparing youths for employment

    Preparing youths for employment

    The Bridge Leadership Foundation (TBLF), a Cross River State-based organisation, has held its Career Day to assist the unemployed with programmes that can narrow skills gaps. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    To address unemployment, the wBridge Leadership Foundation, a non-profit leadership and community development Foundation in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, is exposing young people to new skills that can help them get jobs.

    It held its Seventh Career Day in Calabar. The event attracted more than 5000 young people from across the Southsouth region. They include Mrs. Obioma Imoke; Keexs Chief Executive, Mr. Babajide Ipaye,  Hit Fm Calabar Chief Executive, Mr. Patrick Ugbe.

    Products on display include creative footwear, clothing, food products, agricultural and pharmaceutical products.

    The group’s founder Liyel Imoke, a former governor of the state, in a paper titled: “Made-in-Nigeria; Local production, Global market”, said the event hosted some youths, whose success stories would inspire others and encourage them to start early, take bold initiatives and never look back.

    He said the day was designed to equip young people with the skills they need to thrive in life but that this year’s focus was necessitated by the need to encourage local production that will serve global markets.

    He said he was excited by the level of creativity and products on display at the exhibition stand of the Day, especially those by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Southsouth Entrepreneurship Development Centre.

    Made-in-Aba initiative promoter, Mr. Sam Hart, held a campaign to promote local products.

    He urged youths to be pragmatic in addressing issues by exploring business opportunities around them.

    Former Anambra State governor,Peter Obi,  who spoke on ‘Leadership and integrity’, urged leaders to lead by example and shun excessive lifestyles.

    He said identified with the organisers because of their principles and focus. He challenged the youth to work hard, and live within their means.

    Meanwhile, Imoke’s wife Obioma, has opened the re-branded Valuemart Supermarket amid fanfare in Calabar. The new store, according to her, will create jobs, boost the supply chain of retail goods in the state, while bringing development and best shopping experience closer to the people.

    She said it would provide a unique platform for retailers and shoppers to connect interact and network. She said the long-term plan is to produce most of the products that would be retailed at the store.

  • Making wealth from recycling

    Making wealth from recycling

    Disturbed by the tonnes of waste generated in Nigeria and its poor management, some women are making efforts to create a rewarding business out of recycling, writes DANIEL ESSIET.

    As the price of imported products soar and the sustainability movement gains momentum, recycling markets have strengthened across the country. Where they were once limited to aluminium cans, soda bottles and milk jugs, there are now recyclables markets for  everything.

    This has created new oppor-tunities for an increasing number of Nigerians to make money from trash. One of them is Chief Executive Officer, T. Cynthia Nigeria Limited, Mrs Cynthia Saka. She is making money from selling products taken from landfills. To her, waste collection and recycling is not just a matter of recovering recyclable material; but also part of the economic system.

    According to her, there are buyers for waste.

    Sometimes she gets truckloads of plastics from collectors. The next step is to get them sorted, packaged and ready to go into the marketplace. This is because there are many companies looking for them. For her, local landfill waste collection is only the beginning of a recycling cycle.

    With the expanse of work, she has done in the field, she is a national expert.

    While she recycles her waste into plastic products, some of her colleagues are partnering state and local governments, to set up intermediate processing centres or materials recovery facilities. The major cost, they incur include paying the companies and individuals involved in collecting, transporting, and processing recyclable commodities.

    According to her, the demand for recycled products requires that the products be cost competitive and of high quality. Buyers, she said, demand that the waste be available in large enough quantities for economies of scale.

    A lot of Nigerians have jumped on the green bandwagon. Another is the Founder WeCyclers, Mrs Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola. The Chief Executive Officer  Wecyclers, is known as the recycling queen. Before Wecyclers, she was a software engineer working for a Fortune 500 company in the United States.

    After five years, she quit her job and applied for an MBA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. While working on a project to help households in developing countries, she decided to work on waste – focusing on its uses, collection and processing.

    After the project was completed, she conducted more research focusing on Nigeria and saw the potential in the waste recycling sector, especially among the manufacturing plants that are hungry for a cheaper and easily available source of raw materials due to local and foreign demand for end products.

    She, then, decided to move the idea forward and Wecyclers was born.

    Upon her return to Nigeria, people were initially apprehen-sive. They didn’t know what to make of her obsession with waste. However, when they saw how passionate she was about her idea, how she was able to build and motivate her team, they began to take interest.

    WeCyclers is a successful initiative that enables low-income communities to make money from the waste piling up in their streets. It deploys a fleet of cargo bicycles to collect and recycle waste in Lagos. Weekly, these bicycles go to people’s homes picking up a variety of plastics, cans and sachets. The residents receive points via SMS based on the weight of recyclables they collect, which they can redeem for basic food items, consumer electronics, or even cash.

    After collection, WeCyclers aggregates the material at the household level to sell to local recycling processors.

    Mrs Adebiyi-Abiola, has launched LagosIs Recycling initiative aimed at building low-cost waste collection infrastructure while raising general awareness on the importance of recycling for environmental sustainability and social welfare.

    Mrs Adebiyi-Abiola said Nigerians should see waste as a resource, not a nuisance or an environmental problem.

    With the initiative, Wecyclers, in partnership with Lagos State Waste Management (LAWMA), is encouraging Nigerians to recycle their household items, thereby promoting a cleaner and healthier Lagos.

    Other partner organisations include Unilever, DHL, Nigerian Bottling Company, UKAID, and First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

    Co-Founder/Chief Operations Officer (COO), RecyclePoints, Chioma Ukonu, operates an incentive-based scheme which collects recyclable waste materials from consumers and rewards them with ‘points’ which they can accumulate and use to redeem household items, through the startup’s iRecycle store.

    The RecyclePoints model is an incentive “Point-Based” collection programme that allocates “Points” to the quantity of recyclable items neatly collected at the point of disposal by post-consumers who in turn use the earned “Points” to redeem numerous identified household items and services.

    Subscribers to the scheme are given Green Cards, where items collected and counted are recorded against each week of the month. Recyclers get an SMS notification at the end of the week on the number of “Points” gained.

    Thereafter, the points gained could be traded in exchange for equivalent tagged items available at the RecyclePoints “iRecycle Store”.

    Redeemed items are collected from the company’s office are delivered to the recycler. Recyclers register to join the iRecycle Network and earn points from various recycling.

     

  • Behold the teen inventor!

    Behold the teen inventor!

    Teenagers are coming up with creations and inventions. One of them is Babatimilehin Daomi, 16, a pupil of Dobar Schools, Ikorodu, Lagos State, DANIEL Essiet reports.

    MANY kids are into innovation. They are motivated to create solutions to world’s problems.One of them is Babatimilehin Daomi, a pupil of  Dobar Schools, Ikorodu, Lagos State.

    While in Senior Secondary (SS) II, he 0constructed some technological machine prototypes. They include: spinning light, digital microscope, vacuum cleaner, phone charger, crude oil drilling machine, collapsible bridge, low range FM radio transmitter, motor bike, illuminator and hydrogen separator.

    Though Daomi is 16, his career has already unfolded against the wish of his father, a lawyer, who wants his son to take after him.

    His father, Mr Olusoji Daomi had  said his children must study law before venturing into other fields. Being bound by the family’s rule, he was forced to become an arts pupil, which would lead him into studying law after his senior secondary school, to satisfy the wish of his father.

    Against his father’s wish Babatimilehin he played  along, managing to pay attention to arts lessons for peace to reign, and hoping to move to his natural field someday.

    But like the moon, his destiny could not be shielded by the rule for long. Babatimilehin’s in-born creativity in science and technology began to manifest to his father’s amazement.

    All the traits of an inventor, which he was exhibiting right from his childhood, started manifesting.

    Babatimilehin  said the  mini-digital microscope he invented came out of his effort at solving a problem he discovered in the public schools in  the state.

    He  was motivated to invent mini-microscope when he discovered that the microscopes in public schools were analogue.

    Babatimilehin made a phone charger which battery can last for about four days.

    The charger functions in rural communities without access to regular electricity.

    Other things he constructed include power bike, water fountain, illusionary, toilet tissue dispenser, wireless energy transfer, portable USB fan and water level indicator. These have started earning him awards and accolades from various organisations.

    On July 4, last year, he was honoured with an award in Abuja by Kids and Teens for his creative ingenuity by the Outstanding Ability (KOLA), a non-governmental organisation.

    His school gave him scholarship for  Great Science Inventions, to complete  his secondary education in the school.

    His  inventions  have won him  N1 million from Indomie. But of all his   engineering acumen, his uncanny ability to take the latest technology available at the time and adapt it to practical use stands him out.

    With all these, he has been able to win his father’s support to move fully into his chosen career.

    Babatimilehin’s father told reporters the story of his wonder kid.

    He said Babatimilehin shown the trait of an inventor at an early age. He said he would  dismantle toys  and try to reassemble them. He said: “I forced him into the arts even when he had started showing interest in sciences. As my first son, I would have loved him to be a lawyer, but now that he has chosen his own profession. If I can encourage him and support him, I believe he can succeed. The bottom-line of what we’re looking for in life is success,” Daomi said.

    One project that his son has embarked upon that has got his support is to develop an helicopter. He believes the invention will benefit Nigeria as it will make the nation proud and advance its technological potential.

    He is appealing for support to enable him buy some parts locally to complete the project.

    Advising parents on making decisions on their children’s career, he said: “My advice to parents is that they should discover where the strength of their children is. They should not be too rigid in ensuring that their will over their children prevails. It is the will of God for their children that will prevail and not their will. So, I encourage parents to support their children in any field they choose for themselves.”

    With innovation being the cornerstone  and a vital component in the continued success of the school, the Proprietor of the school, Pastor Olujide Durodola, has worked to create an innovation ecosystem through  support and nurture teens ingenuity.

    According to the proprietor of the school, Babatimilehin’s inventions have given the school a boost.  Because of this, he said the school was paying attention to its  talent hunt  to  empower  the next generation of leaders and problem-solvers.

    The programme, according to him, is to encourage and foster entrepreneurship and creativity among youths while enabling them to leave a lasting impact in their local community.

    Interestingly, the school‘s science laboratories promote creativity and entrepreneurship.

    Durodola said pupils are change-agents, who deserve the opportunity to identify and lead innovative solutions that impact the society.

    According to him, there are pupils in the school with amazing creative ideas, adding that the school is prepared to assist them to impact their communities.

  • Inspiring change

    Principal Consultant, Ideation Consult Limited, Tomisin Ajiboye, is leading a campaign to help small businesses formulate solutions that will change lives and foster impactful and sustainable growth .

    Principal Consultant, Man agement Consulting/ Training, Ideation Consult Limited,Tomisin Ajiboye, is empowering youths to develop entrepreneurial and business skills. He had seen many youths spent many years in the employment market.

    His motivation for the campaign started while he was in school. He was both a strong leader and change maker. After graduation, he is at the forefront of an impressive social enterprise, which is investing in future of others.

    But how did he come about this idea? He said: “I have always wanted to be an idea management consultant and a trainer right from my university days. I organised few events back in school and there was a certain one called Creative Reasoning & Art for Zenith Experience (C.R.A.Z.E.TIVITY). After the event and all its activities, I was very sure I wanted to manage the ideas of others for growth and global participation. Since I was IT inclined, it was much easier for me to quickly put a shape to my business idea. After school, it was a tough call to be an entrepreneur. I had no knowledge, no experience, no clients, no hope and no money. I had to get a job as a business development manager and was on it for eight months before I finally moved to Lagos to pursue my career.”

    He has been in the business  that he started with nothing for six years.

    Ajiboye said: “I started with almost no amount. All I had was a roof over my head, a help from two assistants (without payment), my laptop, internet, social media followers and a blackberry phone. Let’s say I started with N1, 500 internet subscriptions.”

    Despite their qualifications, he noticed many job seekers were unequipped for job opportunities.

    He has seen young intelligent Nigerians with degrees, but no knowledge about how to get jobs.

    To help them take  opportunities, he is educating them on business skills and employability.

    He trains people to perfect their interview skills, write compelling CVs and market their skills.

    He also prepares mid-level professionals who want to augment their skills.

    Today, the business is worth millions of naira.

    But he had challenges when he started. “We had a major failure with registering our business name. The original name was Idea Factory Consulting (without registration), when we started landing big clients, we were faced with demands of registering the company with Corporate Affairs Commission. But, alas, the name Idea Factory was already taken and every effort to show that we should be the authentic beneficiary of this name proved abortive. Then, the company lawyer finally let out our fears, and changed the company’s name.

    ‘’That would mean a full rebranding and we still had to do it in such a way that we still maintain the values and objectives of the company. It took us months and sacrifice but we recovered and gained new grounds. The company’s name is now Ideation Consult Limited.”

    “I had problems with managing cash inflows until I got help from a mentor. I had problems because of my ignorance but, fortunately, I learned how to use my ignorance to solve problems in a new way. And this has helped us become a specialist in workplace innovation management in the country. We have helped many organisations become more productive and profitable, led organisations through a productive brainstorming exercises with little budget and effort.“

    For him, being in business is more than making money, though making a living is important.

    It is a way of life that makes him happy while earning him a living, he said.