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Tag: entrepreneurship

  • Envoy urges youths to embrace entrepreneurship

    Envoy urges youths to embrace entrepreneurship

    The Acting Consul General of the United States Consulate General Office, Lagos, Deheab Ghebreab, has stressed the need for Nigerian youths to acquire entrepreneurial skills in order to help revive the nation’s economy.

    She said this while receiving the first set of Young Business Leaders of Nigeria (YBLN) at the consulate multipurpose hall last Friday.

    The group, established by Temitayo Etomi, an alumnus of the United States Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, has engaged 20 randomly selected Nigerians in a six-week comprehensive leadership and entrepreneurship training programme.

    Ghebreab, who reiterated the U.S. commitment to partnering with Nigeria to eliminate poverty, advised the participants to apply for U.S. fellowships and scholarships open to Africans for more knowledge to grow their businesses and impact others and reduce unemployment in the nation.

    She said: “The expectation is to look at what one person can do and believe you can do it too. Then pledge right here and now to influence in a positive way, at least 10 other young people.”

    Lauding Temitayo’s initiative to give back to her community what she gained in the U.S., she said: “She has really demonstrated what the Fellowship means, which is giving back and helping other young people. It is all about mentorship, networking and working hard to achieve your desired goal in life. Congratulations Temitayo, we are proud of you.”

    Speaking, Temitayo said she quit her job with the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) upon returning to Nigeria to practice what she learnt about marketing consulting business.

    The 33-year old entrepreneur, who currently employs and trains more than 100 Nigerians, advised youths to look out for opportunities and believe in themselves and their country to go far in life.

    “This budding entrepreneurship programme focuses on creating employment for people across the country. So we have invested so much in these 20 people who are in their fourth week in this first series; and the only thing we want from them is to employ a minimum of five people by December 2016. We want to go one person at a time to reduce unemployment crisis in our country.

    “Youths, believe in Nigeria. There are still good people doing good things. We need to shift away from being entitled and join in creating solutions. It is tough being an average unemployed Nigerian, but you have to understand that taking yourself out of that situation is your own responsibility not the government’s or society’s. So, you must keep faith within yourself and believe you can transform your country and that is the way change would come to Nigeria.”

  • Corps members advised on entrepreneurship development

    Corps members advised on entrepreneurship development

    The Ogun State government has called on youths to develop their entrepreneurship skills and explore other employment opportunities in the absence of white-collar jobs.

    The Commissioner for Youths and Sport,  Afolabi Afuape made the call during the swearing-in of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Batch ‘B’ Stream I corps members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Sagamu.

    He urged young graduates to concentrate on exploiting their potential and putting their talents to use.

    He said the reality of global unemployment meant that not every graduate would have access to white-collar jobs, thereby prompting the need to be innovative.

    “Education should be functional. People should go to school to be able to function independently and create wealth for themselves and others. “Education is about improving lives and we must start inculcating entrepreneurial development skills into our young minds while they are still at school,” Afuape said.

    Acknowledging that opportunities for enterprise and access to loans are limited, the commissioner urged unemployed youths to challenge themselves by being innovative and by setting targets for themselves.

    Afuape, who represented Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, at the NYSC programme, advised corps members to accept their call to service with resoluteness, dedication and loyalty to fatherland.

    “The scheme is designed to equip you physically, psychologically and socially for the work challenge of national integration and nation-building.

    “It is also a platform for cross-fertilisation of ideas, enhancing national integration where the scheme provides for you the opportunity to contribute to the task of national regeneration.

    “The training you are about to undertake is to prepare you for the challenges ahead during the service year and beyond,” Amosun said.

    Similarly, Mr James Afolayan, the Ogun NYSC State Coordinator, said the scheme would continue to complement the efforts of the state government in the areas of education and health care delivery.

    “We will continue to deploy corps members to all identified areas of need, especially the rural communities where we shall implement advocacy programmes of interest,” Afolayan said.

    The NYSC official said the orientation exercise, which commenced on Wednesday, October 28, had a total of 2,453 corps members registered in Ogun.

    This comprised 1,226 males and 1,227 females.

     

  • Women, students get entrepreneurship training

    Women, students get entrepreneurship training

    E-Circle Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has held an empowerment workshop for female students and women involved in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

    The training, tagged: Esthers in the market place, was held in collaboration with Sesema Public Relations, a leading communications agency, at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Newcastle Hotel in Lekki.

    The event was attended by over 100 women, students and entrepreneurs and it was aimed at providing them with expertise to successfully develop their businesses and career.

    The entrepreneurship session was facilitated by the Chief Executive Officer of Service Desk Limited, Mrs Kelechi Mba, a specialist in business development. Participants learnt strategies for exploring growth opportunities and dropping destructive mindsets. They were taught how they could benefit from career opportunities in global economy.

    Speaking on Transition of education, knowledge economy and female marketability matrix, Mrs Chioma George-Ekehon, chairperson of E-Circle Foundation, said: “Over the past three years, the project has aimed at inspiring personal responsibility and development among young women to drive productivity and change. The project was specifically designed to help equip young women with the information and skills necessary to help tackle the diverse challenges evident in their organisations, businesses and society. Our goal has been to effectively attract, develop and empower at 250,000 young women in five years.”

    Participants were also given first-hand opportunity for internship and job with Sesema Public Relations, modeling contracts and access to sponsorship for projects.

    Sesema Public Relations Managing Director, Mrs Tampiri Irimagha-Akemu, said: “There is no getting away from the fact that economic conditions remain challenging for the SMEs in Nigeria. We see young women as critical entities and key drivers for economic diversification and growth toward building the knowledge-based economy. We are happy to be partner in this project.”

    The project is an initiative of the E-Circle Foundation geared towards raising and empowering young women in the market place with skills and tools necessary to take on the diverse challenges evident in their organisations and businesses.

     

  • Lagos moves to tackle unemployment with support for entrepreneurship

    Lagos State plans to create jobs and support entrepreneurship.

    The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, Dr Olanike Oduwole, said the ministry would partner individuals and organisations that will support the government in providing more jobs for the teeming population through the encouragement of innovations and creative ideas. There would be a form of paradigm shift from the conventional white collar jobs.

    Oduwole,  who spoke during a visit with officers from the ministry to Technology Incubation Centre in Agege, on the outshirts of Lagos, urged individuals to think of what they could do to earn a living, instead of pursuing or waiting endlessly for office work which might not be available.

    She told the management of the Centre to expand its reach to promote and increase patronage and create awareness about the Centre, adding that the visit was part of the drive of the Ministry to recognise and associate with both government and privately-organisations that had been at the forefront of incubating ideas and promoting entrepreneurial skills.

    She said the state government is interested in gainful and meaningful collaborations.

    Chairman, Cooperative Society of Entrepreneurs, Technology Incubation Centre, Agege, Lagos, Mr. Jude Okpala, said there was need to develop talent, technology, capital and technical know-how to leverage entrepreneurial talents in the state.

    He appealed to the state government to assist in the provision of more land for entrepreneurs to enable them to further contribute to the development of the state, rather than them seeking for lands outside the state.

    He said the Centre seeks to develop and sustain collaborative linkages with research institutes and tertiary institutions, adding that this would help to develop a technologically competitive industrial base through grassroots approach that would link talent, technology, capital and technical know-how to leverage entrepreneurial talents.

    “The Technology Incubation Centre (TIC), Lagos is a joint project between the Lagos State and Federal Government. It is established in 29 states of the Federation and six extensions across the country with over 826 products in the market, creating more than 4,756 direct jobs nationwide,” he said.

  • ITF, NIPC to promote women, youth entrepreneurship growth

    ITF, NIPC to promote women, youth entrepreneurship growth

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, (NIPC) are to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that would facilitate the training and development of women and youth entrepreneurs.

    ITF is also set to host the first-ever National Skills Summit to revive the manpower sector and change the face of training, skills development, job creation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

    ITF Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Dr.  Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko, made this known while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, (NIPC), Mrs. Uju Hassan-Baba, in her office in Abuja.

    Mrs. Chukkas-Onaeko  said  the agency was mindful of President Muhammadu Buhari’s disposition towards youth empowerment and job creation to address unemployment, pointing out that  ITF has realigned some of its activities to enable it drive change in that direction.

    She said capacity building for women entrepreneurs is one of ITF’s areas of focus, noting that the fund would also continue to train women and youths in book keeping, business decision making and identification of markets for products.

    Pledging to broaden the synergy for manpower development, particularly in the non-oil sectors, Mrs Chukkas-Onaeko and Hassan-Bada noted that the collaboration was critical to effective local skills acquisition and manpower development for driving diversification.

    According to Mrs Chukkas-Onaeko, ITF is shifting focus from dependence on oil.

    She said with its abundant manpower deposits, Nigeria could become one of the most industrialised nations in the world.

    ITF, she said, has raised a business training team that can handle the training of women and youth entrepreneurs. ITF, she said, has over 1,000 trainers that provide services in basically all sectors of the economy.

    Mrs Chukkas-Onaeko stressed the need for local skill development in other sectors of the economy that are of comparative advantage to the country.

    Empowering women, she said, was critical to ITF’s agenda as well, adding that both agencies have agreed to collaborate on capacity development for women entrepreneurs along the agricultural value chain.

  • ‘Entrepreneurship answer to graduate unemployment’

    INCULCATION of entrepreneurship skills into graduates is the only way to tackle unemployment, experts have said.

    They spoke at the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) during a four-day workshop for rectors, provosts and directors of entrepreneurship programmes of tertiary technological institutions at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos.

    NBTE’s Executive Secretary Dr Mas’udu Kazaure, said for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to achieve success, there must be effective delivery of technical and vocational education (TVE).

    He said unemployment is rife because of lack of technical and vocational skills in graduates.

    Represented by the board’s Director, Planning and Research and Statistics, Mr  Ekpenyong Ekpenyong, Kazaure noted that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey records 1.3 million Nigerians entering the job market yearly while the National Committee on Job Creation recorded 49 million unemployed Nigerians.

    Consequently, he said the army of the unemployed has led to an increase in urban violence, kidnapping and militant insurgency.

    He listed the challenges facing the TVE, as low access, low motivation, low societal esteem and discrimination as well as inadequacy of facilities.

    Lamenting students’preference for universities, he said: “The trend is that so many children have become lazy in their studies. They run away from Mathematics and Sciences. They go into universities to read Business  and at the end of the day, they want to be managers of a bank.’’

    He continued: “This trend is not good for our country because when you go to a developed  world, it is not the government that is driving the economy but the private sector, and until we go that way, Nigeria may still remain where it is.”

    Coordinator of the event Alhaji Abdul Isa Kafarmata, noted that TVE is though expensive, yet receives less attention from the government.

    “If you want to train a university student in Political Science, Sociology, Law etc, you need only a chalk and a board but for you to train a technician or mechanical engineer, you need much millions of naira for equipment, workshop, laboratories. Unfortunately, the priority of the past administration and also the attitude of our country men is not favouring technical education, and as such parents may find it difficult to come to terms with the disparity that exist between the university and polytechnic education, and they are misled most of the time.

    “However, what I want to emphasis ise is that the economy should be allowed to dictate the manpower needs of the country. Do we really need this bachelor degree all around, turning our millions of graduate in Humanities, Natural Sciences without any skill?’’  Kafarmata, a Director with NBTE, Kaduna, asked.

    The Rector of YABATECH Margret Ladipo, argued that entrepreneurship  could make graduates become self-reliant, adding that this is only possible through changing the mindset of graduates and inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship in them.

    She said it would also bring out the skills and competence, making them job creators and, ultimately, reducing the number of unemployed graduates.

    Stressing the significance of polytechnic education, she said: “We are talking about bridging the gap between the classroom and the industry. We are talking about skills and competence, by the time we bridge that gap, we will not be looking at paper qualification or what you can actually do; we are talking about what you can do, if you are skilled enough, you will be employable.”

  • Entrepreneurship as option for Nigerian graduates

    Nigerian graduates are trained to be job seekers in their various academic pursuits. This is the reason why lots of graduates, upon graduating from their various institutions, embark on job hunt without second thoughts. Yes, it is good to finally become independent, after all, our parents have done their part by training us to university level. At this point, we have to face the harsh reality: there are a lot of graduates but a little available job offers.

    Thank God that we have a new government which knows the plight of young Nigerians, and which is willing to listen to options, suggestions and advice from the public. The unfortunate thing is the reality that our youths graduate in geometric progression but the available job opportunities is in arithmetic progression. Lots of individuals are laying complaints about youths wasting away, without proffering solutions to these predicaments. Thank God for successful entrepreneurs like Tony Elumelu, who through his foundation, is looking at training a lot of youth to be self-sufficient through their focused entrepreneurship programs. Other NGOs like the Posh9ja Youth Initiative, also have embarked on the gospel of entrepreneurship through mentoring and vocational training/ skill aquisition. Instead of growing interest in this, lots of our youths have become up and coming artistes, looking for talents that aren’t there.I do not ascribe blames to them because they have to survive. In the journey of survival, some venture into internet fraud; others ditch their degree for menial jobs like okada riding, bus conductors/drivers, cobblers, corporate begging, e.t.c, all in a bid to make ends meet.

    As the clamour for entrepreneurship grows, the government should think it wise to bat the eyelid in this direction. Prof Pat Utomi, in one of his lectures at the Centre for Values and Leadership, explains entrepreneurs as individuals who see a problem and take punitive measures to create solution to these problems while entrepreneurship is the process of starting up a business or an organization. The entrepreneur is solely responsible for its conceptualization as well as its success or failure.The problem about our youth today is that they all aren’t ready to labour, they just want to start the business today and make profit immediately. We are all conversant with the stories of AlhajiAlikoDangote, who spent over 30 years in business before becoming the richest man in Africa. Also, Chief Mike Adenuga worked as a taxi driver in the USA before finding his foot in business. Nigerian youths just believe it is a day’s job of training, and money starts to spin by the next day.

    Entrepreneurship takes patience, grooming, under-studying, perseverance, finance and lots of encouragement. Business men who venture into this without the needed tools end up closing shop when the challenges gets too enormous. The big question now arises: how can one become an entrepreneur? What does it take?

    The first step is the dream and determination. The popular saying goes that ‘if you do not dream, you will eventually work for someone who dreams’. Having a dream isn’t just basically sleeping and wishing. It is what keeps you awake while everyone is asleep. Growing and nurturing the dream in view of every brickwall is what makes an entrepreneur. Once the idea has been conceptualized, the next thing required is to develop a step-by-step plan in actualizing the dream. Thank God we have internet available all around the country, and google isn’t keeping malice with anyone. There are tons of information available on the internet. Whatever business idea you might have, take a little bit of time to research on the internet. Its challenges, profitability, financial implication and even examples of people who have been in the business and have made considerable impact in it. If what you see does not encourage you, it is better to back out before becoming a failure. Research isn’t just about sitting behind the system and reading about it, it involves going for a course to understudy the idea. Having a form of internship or picking a mentor in the field will also go a long way in actualizing your dream. There are a lot of vocational centres across the country for those having the business ideas in fashion, baking, computer engineering and website development, e.t.c. If your idea is of a more complex nature, thorough research will be a plus. There is no knowledge as helpful as the knowledge gained on the field hence, the need to have good experience in whatever venture. After all research is done, test the waters with your services and possibly, execute your projects as the cheapest available in the industry. The standard you project will go a long way in categorizing you amongst either the best, average or worst.

    The government should really look at entrepreneurship as a means of creating jobs for the teeming youthful population. Not just in the creation of those jobs but also, proper verification as well as provision of enabling environment. Thank God that electricity has gradually improved since the take-over of President MuhammaduBuhari. While some individuals might be interested in being business owners, capital is one of the major drawbacks affecting many local businesses. During the previous administration by President Goodluck Jonathan, a scheme called YouWin was established to provide capital for would-be entrepreneurs. This really worked as lots of business ideas were birthed. Making this YouWin project a continuous one will go a long way in assisting these young ones in balancing their foot. There are some industries that are over-saturated while some are really in need of intellectuals to grow. While most graduates feel that agriculture is demeaning and degrading, they overlook the business part of that industry, forgetting that a commodity that never goes out of fashion is a commodity that is required for the daily living of humans.

    Also, entrepreneurship should be included in the curriculum of university students, irrespective of the course of study. We are in a society that everyone hustles for available jobs irrespective of the course of study. That is why we have Geologists working in Audit firms, Engineers working as teachers in primary schools and Biochemists as bankers.Our society is one that allows an individual employment as long as he passes the aptitude test. Corporate organisations should also step-up their CSR not just by maintaining and gardening round-abouts, but invest in human capacity building, especially the youth.

    Lastly, a country that engages its youths will not only clear out idle hands, but will also increase its revenue when these ones start to pay tax and employ people to grow their brands. The government should put special attention to the youth and entrepreneurship/ mentoring. If this is in place, a new set of billionaires will be groomed and in another 10 years, we will be glad we conceptualized such idea.

     

    • Oluwashola Jimmy Ayinde Idiagbon, President, SIJ Foundation/ CEO, SIJ Global Group.
  • Entrepreneurship and national development

    Entrepreneurship and national development

    On the 20th of April this year, she made history at the Universityof Abuja (UNIABUJA) when she became the first woman to deliver an inaugural lecture at the University. She is none other than Professor Sarah OlanrewajuAnyanwu of the Department of Economics. Her inaugural delivery is the 13th since the establishment of UNIABUJA with Professor Anyanwu’s presentation being the second from the Department of Economics and the third from the Faculty of Social Sciences. I must confess that when a friend,at my requisite, sent me a copy of the lecture, I was initially unexcited about the title: ‘Entrepreneurship as a Tool for Fostering Economic Development in Nigeria”. I used to belong to the school of thought that studies like Entrepreneurial studies or home economics are largely pragmatic disciplines more concerned with the nuts and bolts of practical matters and with no room for the theoretical and philosophical bases of academic subjects properly so called.

    Yet, when in recent weeks, I have been reading the inaugural culture and I must admit that my earlier sentiments were completely misbegotten and erroneous. From my reading of the lecture, Professor Anyawu, has an incomparable passion for entrepreneurial studies. Her first major paper after obtaining her Ph.Din 1992 was titled ‘Women Entrepreneurs in Jimata and Yola of Adamawa state: A profile of Features, Problems and Precepts”. This was an early indication that Professor Anyanwu was not going to be your typical denizen of the scholarly ensconced in an the Ivory Tower blissfully proffering theories far removed from existential realities. She also gained further academic and practical experience when she served as Director of Entreprenursip of UNIABUJA in 2010.

    The central theme of Professor Sarah Anyanwu’s inaugural is lecture that a passion for entrepreneurial studies is an indispensable vehicle for national recovery and sustainable development. She has been particularly influenced by the great economist, Schumpeter’s ‘theory of entrenpreneurship’ with its emphasis on creativity, innovation and venture development. Professor Anyawu underscores the critical and indispensable role of entrepreneurship in achiving national economic growth and development. In her words “Entreprenurship includes identification of individual of resources, allocation of resouces to create value through the identification of unmet needs. It involves the courage to take investment risks, the creativity to conceptualise and actualise marketable venture to meet identical needs’. Thus, the psychological prerequisites of successful entreprenuiral ventures include capacity, attitude, a talent for innovation, high moral integrity as well leadership capabilities”.

    Citing several scholars – Schumpeter, Weber, Thomas and Mueller etc, Professor Anyanwu argues that there is a positive correlation between entrepreneurial activities “and the stimulation of economic growth, employment generation and the disadvantaged sections of the population, which include women and the poor”. But how does entrpreneurship promote national development? This she contends is through its role as a generator of employment and increased productivity through innovation, the facilitation of transfer or adaptation of technology as well as the dynamic generation and utilisation of resources.

    The link between the individual – creative, innovative, industrious, daring and courageous enrteprenurship and achieving his potentials in my reading of Professor Anyanwu’s lecture is a functional, effective, transparent and accountable state, which provides the necessary environment for business and enrepreneurship to thrive”. The professor thus exhaustively explores appropriate economic, social, psychological legal and technological contents that limit the potentials of entrepreneurial enterprise in Nigeria.

    One fascinating insight, which I glean from Professor Anayanwu’slecture is that unemployment, while being a key indicator of our economic performance and development, can also be a catalyst for enhanced entrepreneurial activity and national development. Describing this as the ‘Schmpeterian’ effect; Professor Anyanwu explains that high unemployment in a country is closely associated with a low degree of entreprenuial activities, that where the propensity to set up enterprises is very low, the rate of employment is very high.  A low entreprenuiral culture and lack of skills in any society may be a consequence of low economic growth, and higher level of unemployment.

    Professor Ananwu expatiates on this fascination thesis that an ordinarily negative phenomenon like unemployment can have positive factor ‘fast tracking entrepreneuship through ‘a refgee effect’. In her words “this remarkable view dates back to Oxenfelt (1943) who pointed out individuals confronted with unemployment and low prospects for wage employment often turn to self-employment as a viable alternative.

    According to Professor Anyawu, this observation was an extension of an earlier view by Knight that individuals make a decision among threestates – unemployment self-employment and employment. This simple theory of income choice, according to Professor Anyanwu, lends credence to the refugee effect by suggesting that increased unemployment will lead to an increase in start- up buisnesses. This implies and assumes the existence of effective government that implements viable national economics, which facilitate easy access to credit at affordable rates, enhancing the ease of starting and sustaining business as well as efficient of the vital physical and social infrastrucre for buinseess to thrive”.

    Other critical issues, which attract Professor Ayanwu’s lecture include youth enrepreneruship, Women entrepreneurial developmetas well as offering a clinical dissection of extant government fiscal and socio-economic policies at all levels and their implications for poverty alleviation and rapid economic development. Professor Anyanwu’s passion for entreprenrshipbrings to my mind Chief Awolowo’s thesis that man is the sole dynamic in nature. He is the- be all and all of creation. Investment in affordable but qualitative education, health care and the provision of modern social and physical infrastructure are therefore,  etc indispensable for the liberation of the entrepreneurial potentials of millions of Nigerians and making them catalysts of development.

  • Five start-up secrets for women

    Five start-up secrets for women

    For the majority of women in Nigeria, entrepreneurship is a necessity. There are no jobs or viable alternative options, however, from writing a business plan to coming up with a name to hiring employees, a startup can seem overwhelming.

    Many Nigerian women who have always wanted to start their own business never do, simply because they are weighed down by the process and unsure of what specifically is required. It is no secret that women in the startup world generally face a series of unique challenges. Not only are they significantly out-numbered by men, they also find themselves intrinsically disadvantaged either by the limited funding or a dearth of high-power female role models with actual experience.

    There is no secret formula or tactics when it comes to what make female entrepreneurs thrive. Instead, what it takes to succeed is, in a lot of ways, gender neutral as the steps one needs to get there similarly should not be confined to gendered lines. At the moment, the investing community is predominantly made up of men investing in other men, making it even much more difficult for the women to hold the reins. With this in mind, Jovago.com, Africa’s No 1 online hotel booking portal has put up 5 start-up secrets for Nigerian women who are keen on building a successful startup anyway and fulfilling their dreams.

    Do not overthink it.

    Unlike men, women are much more likely to ask the question: “What if?” Starting anything is challenging, but the female tendency to worry can prevent them from making the first step. Do not second-guess yourself, even if the idea is a moon shot.

    Over thinking breeds fear which can stop you before you begin. Thoughts about the risk of failure, humiliation, and criticism that may come along the way can overwhelm the desire to start, especially when you have other people to care for besides yourself. However, the biggest risk is not trying. You will never know what you are capable of until you jump off of the edge entirely.

    Simplify your mission.

    Invest time to defining and breaking down the structure and goal of your business to the simplest form; be specific about what it does and what it represents.

    If you nail down a 60 – 90 seconds synopsis, it will yield a lot of dividends throughout the life of your business. Again, a simple mission makes drafting a list of actionable steps you can take every day to work towards your startup easier.

    Arm yourself with patience.

    Patience is a virtue that can be learned. It may take a much longer than expected to achieve your goals, but it is important to remain passionate and patient.

    Understand that every business will have its up and downs, surround yourself with positive thinkers and be in touch with mentors, preferably other female entrepreneur with actual experience as there are issues only female founders encounter.

    Never underestimate the importance of having role models.  Try to learn from their experiences and how they managed to survive during the most difficult times. This gives you strength and motivation.

    If possible try forming your own group of female founders and meet up regularly. If you can hang around long enough and accept the challenges that come your way, it will only be a matter of time before you achieve your goals.

     Invest in a good watch

    The aim is not to look chic, but more on showing how important time is to you.

    As a Nigerian women in the startup world, high chances are you do not have a lot of nor brand equity, so it is important that you use your time wisely your greatest asset is your time. Time management is essential to the success of any startup.

    A founder has to determine how to best employ each hour of the day to make the biggest impact on her brand. Wasted time means wasted efforts in building the brand of your dreams.

    Do not transfer aggression

    While it is essential to surround yourself with an awesome team, it is important to also remember that you are going to need them to overcome all the obstacles that come with starting and maintaining a company.

    The success of any startup lies on the team and not only on how well they manage their specific duties, but on how well they are managed as well.  You will need to have a firm grip on your emotions and learn to stay away from transferring the aggression that comes from strong emotions like fear and anger to your team while managing them.

    Be as stern as you need to be, but nothing good comes from you bringing your lack of emotional control into the work, chances are that you will create a wall or divide between you and your team, and that will certainly  have a negative effect on output.

  • Behold the entrepreneurship champs

    Behold the entrepreneurship champs

    Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna State (KADPOLY) have won the 2015 Enactus Entrepreneurship Challenge held last week at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The team will represent Nigeria at a global contest in South Africa, reports WALE AJETUNMOBI.

     

    Of  the over 40 teams that presented life-changing entrepreneurial projects they carried out in 27 states, only 20 teams with excellent projects qualified to participate in the contest. At the end, the team, which developed an electricity project, was adjudged to be the best of all.

    This project earned the Federal Polytechnic, Kaduna (KADPOLY) team the first prize at the end of the 2015 Enactus National Entrepreneurship Competition held last week at Civic Centre, Victoria Island in Lagos. The theme of the event was: Enabling progress.

    By the feat, the KADPOLY students will represent Nigeria in World Cup Challenge in Johannesburg, South Africa in October, having defeated their counterparts from the Federal University of Agriculture (UNIAGRIC) in Markurdi, Benue State, and Ekiti State University (EKSU) in the national round.

    Enactus, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), engages students in activities aimed at solving various challenges facing many communities by designing and strategically implementing community-based projects using innovative and business solutions that will improve livelihoods and transform the communities socially, economically and environmentally.

    Addressing the students at the event, the United States (U.S.) Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, said the growing African population would unlock tremendous opportunities for the youth to use technology for economic growth. He said the opportunities would only be at the reach of young people if they were educated and acquired skills.

    Describing Nigerian youths as ardent social and business entrepreneurs, the envoy said: “Working in teams to shape your projects and competing with your peers, you have acquired valuable skills. You now have the responsibility placed on your shoulder to serve as strong, positive role models for Nigeria and Africa. In five to 10 years, you and your peers will be the ones making major decisions in government, business and civil society.”

    The contest started on Tuesday with review and screening of the projects. The qualified teams were divided into four leagues, with each having five teams to present their projects in the opening round of the competition.

    Two teams with outstanding plans from each of the four leagues advanced to the semi-final round, which had the successful teams to be grouped in two leagues of four teams each. The teams adjudged to have used the power of innovation to sustainably change the lives of people in their target communities moved to the final round.

    The two qualifying teams,  UNIAGRIC and KADPOLY  slugged it out with their counterpart from EKSU, which won the 2014 edition.

    The KADPOLY electricity project involved the use of recycled materials, car alternator, bicycle wheel and polyvinylchloride pipes to construct a windmill that generated 2,400 Watts of power to serve the Angwan Pah community.

     

    The community had, at the time, never experienced public power supply in its over 50 years of existence. The project was carried with the support of SAHARA Group, an energy firm.

    To sustain the project, the team extended it to neighbouring Kakau community, using kinetic energy of water to generate electricity. The project was discovered to be self-sustaining and environmental-friendly.

    The EKSU team innovatively developed an automated and wireless pest control device that emits 23 various sounds audible only to birds. The technology was developed to address the challenge of bird infestation being faced by rice farmers in Igbemu community of Ekiti State.

    The farmers were excited about the technology, which keeps their farms free of bird invasion and saves them 40 to 60 per cent yield that would have been lost. The technology also boosted the profits of the farmers by 60 per cent and encouraged them to cultivate more farmlands.

    The UNIAGRIC team designed an environment-friendly generator, with the objective to improve performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The project reduced environmental pollution in Wurukum Market in Benue State, which was caused by the emission of carbon dioxide from fuel generators. The students empowered 11 SMEs, thereby reducing cost of running their business.

    At the end of the keen contest, students of KADPOLY emerged winner, while UNIAGRIC team came second and EKSU, third.

    The KADPOLY team was presented with a trophy and N500,000 cheque as first prize. It will be competing with 35 other teams from different countries during the global championship.

    The Enactus Acting Country chief, Michael Ajayi, said the contest has created a platform for the youth to use their ingenuity to find sustainable business solutions to real problems affecting real people.

    He said: “When the students embarked on the projects, they also used the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and entrepreneurial talent. Through Enactus activities in the last 13 years, we have had the opportunity to work with some talented young Nigerians, who have dared to create change in their communities.”

    The event was supported by the vision of some corporate organisations, including Sahara Group, U.S. Embassy and KPMG.