The Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) is taking steps to boost the national campaign for new agribusiness startups, and jobs in rural and urban areas for young people. It aims to increase youth employment and income by building their skills and capacity and linking them  to market opportunities in growth sectors that have potential for job creation.

The institute believes there is the need to arouse and sustain the interest of youths in agriculture and agribusinesses, leading to widespread employment.

To this end, its Public Relations Officer, Mayowa Gidado said  ARMTI will address this through its 19th Annual Lecture Programme scheduled  for tomorrow, December 1 at its campus at Ilorin, capital of Kwara State.

With the theme: Youth in Agriculture: Possibilities and Opportunities for Sustainable Agricultural Business in Nigeria, the forum will  be addressed by Managing Director/CEO Paul Okpue Farms, Asaba, Delta State, Hon. Paul Okpue. The acting Director-General, National Directorate of Employment(NDE), Mr Kunle Obayan is the discussant.

The lecture series has attracted several notable personalities  such as Major General  Agbazika Innih (rtd), Rear Admiral Murtala Nyako (Rtd), Senate President ,Dr. Bukola Saraki; fomer World Bank’s representative to Nigeria Dr. Ishrait Husain; Food and Agriculture Organisation Country Representative,  Dr. Louise Setswaelo, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, among others.

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A GROUP MindAfrica Leadership Initiative, has held an exhibition for over 400 pupils in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The event gave the under-18 pupils the opportunity to present their latest projects, which illustrate their talents and innovations.

The project-exhibitions included a battery powered incubator by pupils from State Primary School, Elekahia, which emerged first in the primary category, a mobile multifunction radio by Community Secondary School, Rumuomasi which came first in the Junior category and a solar power back-up by community Secondary School, Igwuruta,which came out first in the senior category.

Others included a mobile phone detector by Dietams International College, wind turbine powered cold room by Community Secondary School, Oginigba, electro-chemical cell-powered charcoal pot by Government Girls Secondary School, Rumukwuta and other projects from 19 schools.

The pupils also participated in hands-on workshops, demos and exhibition booths, learning from adult makers, which featured robotics, 3-D printing, coding, audio programming and drones engineering. However, it didn’t exclude the arts. Traditional crafts, such as textile production, visual art reproduction, and bead works, were included.

The group’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Emeka Ene, an engineer, said: “Nigerians have the brains and knowledge; if we empower our children to be hands-on, to create things, to apply their imagination, to combine knowledge with practical solutions, we would become very successful.”

Its Executive Director, Ms. Olere Iluebbey, urged the public to support youths. She said: “We want to use this platform to showcase what young people can do and we want to encourage corporate organisations to come and support these young ones. A lot of projects being showcased were made using simple materials but as they begin to develop this project further, it changes from being a prototype to an actual product that can be scaled up to a commercial level. So we are calling on the public to support young children in these initiatives that they are coming up with by funding their projects, providing tools, learning resources for them. It would really go a long way to help.’’

The yearly exhibition showcases creativity, inventiveness and resourcefulness among pupils.. Designed to inspire interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education among them, the initiative supports learning opportunities that promote creativity, problem-solving, collaboration and self-expression. It is licensed by Maker Media of the United States.

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For women trying to start a business, it can be a daunting prospect, which is why The Women Mentoring Women Network, hosted a mentoring walk for  prospective women entrepreneurs in Calabar, the Cross Rivers State capital to help  them  get the guidance they seek.

It was an opportunity for entrepreneurs to be mentored by industry experts as they make a walk across the ancient city. The Founder/Faculty Lead,  Centre for Career Development, Miss Esther Eshiet, shared her vision, which is to provide support for young entrepreneurs in three ways– inspiration, information and mentoring.

Miss Eshiet highlighted  the benefits of  mentoring in the lives of young women to include knowledge, experience and access to networks.

She urged mentees to make good use of the opportunity; managing the privilege and unique perspectives the mentors are bringing to their lives.

In spearheading the walk, Miss Eshiet walked the streets of Calabar in company of other leading female executives, including Head of Branch, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, Mrs. Aja Enun; Executive Secretary, Cross River State Investment Promotion Bureau, Tutu Ekeng; Director of Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agricultural Development, Mrs. Maria Ojugbo, Chief Executive and See Babazi World, Doreen Aji, amongst others.

With a focus firmly on mentoring, the event saw young girls and most active and helpful enterprise investors in the state getting together. While they walk together, women and girls demonstrated the power of sharing successes and challenges and building meaningful connections that boost confidence and promoting growth and leadership.

For many, the connections they build are the start of an ongoing mentoring relationship. Preceding the mentoring walk was a mentors’ breakfast meeting and a mentees brunch. The 2016 Women Mentoring Walk was supported by Nestle Nigeria and CUSO International and delivered in partnership with Idea Builders Initiative.

Mentor, Mrs. Maria Ojugbo said: “There is fundamental need to mentor girls in our society, having that anchor  that guides and enables them achieve their goals in life is why I keep signing up as a mentor.”

Mentee,Teresa Effiong said: “I have nice ideas and grand dreams but my problem is how to achieve them; I am hopeful that my mentor will help me achieve my goals.”

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Young entrepreneurs, artisans and tradesmen are the source of innovation and key drivers for economic growth. Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment wants to provide an enabling environment for them to do business, deliver innovation, and enhance the lives of citizens. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

For the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment (MWC&E), Mr. Abdul Ahmed Mustapha, a dynamic city revolution is underway. This is because Lagos is constantly evolving. As a mega-city, the state is expected to report a faster pace of economic growth than most major cities across the country. To achieve this, tradesmen and artisans are going to play an important role in boosting the growth of the economy.

Speaking at the sidelines of 2016 Tradesmen & Artisans stakeholders forum in Lagos, Mustapha said the state needs artisans and tradesmen who can be guaranteed a job once theyare qualified. Since the government’s plans to continue to increase spending on infrastructure, there are fears regarding the sustainability of such investment-fuelled growth.

Mustapha told the artisans that the state government has contributed the sum of N25 billion to the Employment Trust Fund to support small scale enterprises. He said the government hopes to encourage startup businesses and small-scale redevelopment projects by creating incubation centres across the state.

He stressed the determination of the present administration to reduce unemployment rate and skill deficiency among artisans in Lagos.

To this end, the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, in collaboration with Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) is training Tradesmen and Artisans in the state to enhance their productivity and upgrade their skills. Therefore, the way professional services are delivered must change across small and large businesses.

Head of Entrepreneurship Department, MWC&E, MrsTaiwo Abiose said the ministry was committedto building the capacities of promising young entrepreneurs and innovators, including those in secondary schools, saying the government is determined to support a network of business incubation centres to assist emerging entrepreneurs at each step of their journey by providing early-stage technical training and market intelligence.

By enabling innovative companies to launch and scale their business ideas, she said Lagos State is committed to stimulating economic growth and job creation.

The President, Lagos State Tie and Dye Association, Abdul Rahhed Temitope, said  the  cottage industry is one of the thriving enterprises that needed encouragement because of its huge potentials for alleviating poverty.

Patronage of the local tie and dye comes from businesses and private individuals across the country.

He called on the Lagos Government to support its growth to discourage import of such products into the country.

The President,Lagos State Ram Sellers Association, Alhaji Seriki Alao said the industry can still take new entrants.

He praised the Lagos Government for training tradesmen and artisans to make them more skillfull and responsive to the demands of the economy.

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A gROUP, Startup Grind, will hold its end-of-the-year party on December 17 at Soul Lounge, The Palms Shopping Centre, Lekki, Lagos.

Its Lagos Chapter Director, Uwem Uwemakpan, said the event would give Lagos entrepreneurs time to bond, network and share creative solutions to challenges businesses face.

The main aim is to create a support system to aid growth of businesses.

Powered by Google for Entrepreneurs,  such  events are hosted in 200 cities and 85 countries, featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies.

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Africa Technology Summit’s Agritech Panel will hold in Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos today.

Organised by  Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), it will train, mentor and invest in world-class tech entrepreneurs and African startups from Ghana and  Nigeria.

Expected as special guest is  Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh.

In a statement, MEST ‘s Communications and Recruitment Manager, KelechiUdoagwu said one of the panelits is the Founder/CEO, Fresh Direct Produce, Angel Adelaja, who is the winner of this year’s Chivas’The Venture.

Others include: Founder/CEO, Verdant Agritech Limited, Nasir Yammama, a creative technologist; Head of Investment and Business Development (Africa)  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s CAVA Project, Imoudu Alexander Osikhena and Chief Executive/Cofounder Farmline Alloysius Attah, a platform focused on smallholder farmers which uses technology to link farmers to markets, finance, input and equipment services.

During the two-day summit, there will be a demo day where MEST’s top portfolio companies will pitch in front of a range of investors, celebrating the truest peak of innovation that comes from Africa.

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Aware that an economy needs skilled men and women and that the lack of artisans can scuttle any government economic plan, the Lagos State government has held its seventh Tradesmen and Artisans’ Week & Graduation for some re-trained artisans and tradesmen, Daniel Essiet reports.

The big infrastructural work  and the expanding business districts across Lagos State demands critical skills, such as fitters, turners, welders, boilermakers, sheet metal and tool and dye makers.

Lack of artisans  could scuttle any government plan targeted economic growth. The shortage also leaves  experts  concerned about the short, medium – and long-term capacities of the country – to deal with poverty and unemployment.

To reverse this, the Lagos Government is strengthening it vocational training scheme to make it more  functional.  The government wants to see an apprentice system, where  trainees would qualify through a mixture of practice and theory.

The Commissioner, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, Babatunde Durosimi-Etti expressed the desire to put in place in Lagos,  a system where vocational institutions and schools would contribute to the training of artisans as well as a class of workers with lower levels of qualification.

Besides, the training would promoting a business culture for tradesmen and artisans.Thus to achieve his, the commissioner is partnering with the biggest trainers of artisans and tradesmen to join hand with the government to train and teach large numbers of candidate artisans.

Durosimi-Etti believes this might help turn the tide in terms of skills’ shortages. Many of the efforts are being  put in place to  increase monitoring of  the performance of accredited artisan trade test centres; developing, maintaining and apply a  data base for assessing and moderating artisan trade tests; developing  and maintaining  a national data base of registered artisan trade assessors and moderators.

Speaking at the seventh Tradesmen and Artisans’Week & Graduation in Lagos, the commissioner maintained that the government was  working  towards an artisan development system that ensures only well-trained and certified tradesmen and women would practise.

Entrepreneurship Development in the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment Director, Mrs. Taiwo Abiose, said the long-term intention of the government was to make it compulsory for all artisans to be registered with the ministry for easy coordination of their activities.

She reiterated the determination of the ministry to  elevate the potential of the artisan sector to create jobs. The efforts of the ministry are being given a boost by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode who promised to reverse the trend of patronages of foreign artisans above their local counterparts.

He granted approval for the training of 1,500.

Ambode said his administration recognises the contributions of the informal sector as the vehicle of growth and economic development.

The governor expressed the hope that with the vigorous trainings which the graduands had been exposed to coupled with the approved training for a new sets of artisans designed to sharpen the entrepreneurial skills of the artisans and as well as broaden their horizon for a competitive edge, the desire for foreign artisans as a result of their expertise would be reduced to the barest minimum.

The governor said: ‘’Our administration recognises artisans as major players and the conveyor belt for industrial enterprise in the country. We shall work assiduously to design and develop programmes aimed at upscaling artisans’ skills and capacities.

‘’Premised on this, Lagos State government is particularly passionate about this sector which is demonstrated by the various programmes anchored by the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment in with other agencies.’’

Ambode maintained that except  efforts were made to shift focus to equipping and rebuilding the informal sector, artisans cannot be vibrant enough for the prevailing realities.

He said that credible members of Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA) would access soft loans from the already inaugurated N25 billion Empowerment Trust Fund (ETF),  stressing: “This government would not sit and wait for oil prices to rebound in the international market before arriving at a solution to our challenges.’’

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She knew that the only way to fill the void in her spirit was to give her dream of being an interior designer a shot. Today, the Oyo State-based entrepreneur, Mrs Ngozi Maureen Ojiego, has designed her way to success. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

OYO State-based woman entrepreneur, Mrs Ngozi Maureen Ojiego  has stitched   her way to success through a leap into interior decorations.

A graduate of Linguistics from the University of Calabar, Mrs  Ojiego knew that the only way to fill the void in her spirit was to give her dream of being an interior designer a shot.  She has a huge passion for interiors.

Her words: “I have always had the flair for colours, spatial arrangements, decorating spaces, and my strong belief that we could have functional and beautiful spaces without breaking the bank.”

She registered  Timorin Concepts Limited in 2011 and its opened doors for business in October of the same year.

As Chief Executive of TMC Interiors and the Managing Director Drapes & Stitches and Bubu & Zara’s Kid’s Salo, she started with  about  N3million, which she spent on rents, renovation, stocks, and stationery, among others.

Though she started out slow, she stuck in long enough to break through and now she owns a thriving interior design company. She believes she creates beauty with her fabric, prints and designs. The good quality of her products delivered on time at an affordable price, are the reasons for her soaring leap.

She said: ‘’To the glory of God, we have moved from a staff strength of six  to 11, and we have invested proceeds from the same business into two other new subsidiaries: TMC retail outlet and Bubu and Zara’s Kids Salon. So, I would say that we are taking baby steps and are moving.”

Today, she is garnering attention not just to her company, but also to her self. As an entrepreneur, she is amazing.

Mrs Ojiego ensures that every garment is a beautiful work of art. Her background has always been creative. She covered all areas of interior designs. Through learning, she has branched out into so many areas she wasn’t even considering when she started. She has been involved in window treatments, curtains, blinds, art and bedroom designs. Sourcing fabric is a fun, though sometimes time-consuming, aspect of her work. She looks for fabrics that will hold up to regular use, and which design sets them apart.  She’s looking forward to expanding her skills and services, but she’s had some challenges.

“We had a production line that tied down huge capitals, which overtime depleted in terms of shelf life.

‘’I learnt to do away with the lines that were not working, diversify into other interior-related lines and produced upon request.”

On  sacrifices to be a successful entrepreneur, she recalled: “ I have had to deny myself a lot of luxury and vacations, just to stay afloat and pay salaries. I had to sacrifice a well paying job to follow my dreams, balancing between personal life and work, as I occasionally have to attend to projects outside my primary location, but at the end of it all, it’s been worth it.”

Her advice for young entrepreneurs. “I would advise the young entrepreneurs to believe in themselves, take the risk, and take action. No one ever gets anything by doing nothing. They also would need to define their market, spend wisely, join groups and get mentors.

Where do she see herself and business in 10 and 20 years from now? I have got very tall dreams; all things being equal 10- 20 years from now, I hope to have grown my sales by over a 1000 per cent, Turnover  in billions (beaming with smiles)staff  strength of  20 to 30, hopefully capturing 70 per cent  of the southwest market and also exporting my services and probably, be the best interior journalist  and designer Nigeria ever produced.”

SMrs Ojiego is happy with what she has accomplished so far.“I am humbled by the trust people have reposed on me. I give God the glory. I thank my family for believing  in me and supporting me and my  team for believing in my vision and not giving up on me. I also do know that there are a lot of grounds, yet to be conquered,” she added.

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Entrepreneurs with scientific or technological ideas that could enhance agricultural productivity are being challenged to boost food production. It was the message at the just-concluded Africa Technology Summit in Lagos.

The emerging agritech sector in Nigeria is attracting attention from venture capitalists and tech-focused start-up companies.

There are concerted efforts to make Lagos a hub of agritech innovation and entrepreneurship.

One of the international organisations involved is Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), which is providing training, investment and mentoring for aspiring entrepreneurs with the goal of creating successful companies that will create wealth and jobs locally.

The firm held Africa Technology Summit in Lagos, with the goal of attracting entrepreneurs and establishing successful and investable agricultural sector companies.

The programme also sought to identify early stage agri-technologies and companies and assist them in building investable, high-growth enterprises through mentorship and programming.

Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Verdant Agric, Nasir Yammama,  said agricultural  innovation and business creation have the potential to transform the  economy.

Yammama supported the campaign to identify and support locally-grown ideas from  farmers and  entrepreneurs.

He said: “From an agricultural production company, we have become an agriculture technological company with the motto: We grow.”

CEO, Fresh Direct, Angel Adelaja  observed that the huge challenge was to get both investors and entrepreneurs  in the tech space to invest in the idea of mechanical equipment. Another challenge, she added, was  access to  finance .

Since  the sector requires  new technologies, tools and approaches to improve efficiency and diversify product offerings, Adelaja called for funding to enable entrepreneurs create solutions with  enormous potential for economic growth.

This, according to her, would enable innovators to grow their businesses, by applying technology to agriculture.

She explained that Nigeria has a sustainable competitive advantage in agriculture, but that operators are facing increasing costs challenges”. “The biggest thing for us is reducing the cost and making sure we give the customers exactly what they need. It’s about thinking about the box and giving the customer what they can use and help them be more productive.    With how we reduce wastage, we only grow for customers and we grow just what they need. With the use of apps, we can connect with our market. Also if farmers insured their produce, wastage will be managed well,” she added.

Chief Executive & Founder, Agrivi, Matija Zulj, said there were big and small farmers. “The big farmers are more into technology while the small farmers are more into knowledge. If we pay close attention to both farmers, we will see that technology actually wins because technology will get the job done and help to know when to plant, manage or harvest,” he said.

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Online furniture retailer Ndianabasi Udonkang shares tips for success. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Chief Executive, Furnish.NG, Ndianabasi Udonkang,  has taken the industry by storm with an online furniture marketplace. Furnish.NG, a start-up focused on the provision of quality, affordable and wide range of furniture, home wares and interior décor items, was launched last April.

It uses modern technology for design and manufacturing of furniture and providing customers easy access to its extensive online catalogue,

Udonkang has seen online marketplaces explode in the last three years, helping fledgling start-ups become successful businesses.

Udonkang , who started the business with his savings of about N500,000, is proud of where the company is today. He is happy that though he has not hit the million dollar mark in turnover, he has created a strong business with a great earning power. “I am proud of the strides Furnish.NG has accomplished in just eight months of existence. With our dedicated staff, we’ve grown to become the largest online marketplace for furniture items and we are working by adding homeware and interior décor items soon. We see the race as a marathon not a sprint,“ he said.

When asked how the idea about the business come about? He  explained: “I worked as a structural design engineer with Global Oceon Engineers Ltd between 2013 and 2014. I resigned from the company to launch Donkan Designs Technologies, an Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Design Company.  My extensive skills in architectural designs came to bear as I was engaged by a particular company based in Ikoyi, Lagos, who regularly outsourced their interior architectural design jobs to my company.  My experiences on various interior design projects for numerous clients led me to discovering the need for an easily accessible catalogue of affordable Furniture, homeware and Interior Décor items.

“This was because most of our clients preferred to have an online catalogue which they can easily have access to on the go and choose their choice of home accents, furniture, and other homeware items for their interior décor projects. So, I nurtured the idea for a while, before beginning to execute the idea which became Furnish.NG.

“I also launched Furnish.NG as a result of several bad experiences with local carpenters who were contracted to make some furniture items for my home. They did not stick to the quality of materials agreed upon, quality of finishing was poor, and they couldn’t keep to the time of delivery. My neighbour also had similar experiences. So, Furnish.NG was established to provide customers with peace of mind by guaranteeing customers with wide range of designs, quality of material and finishing, and timely delivery.

“Thirdly, quality furniture at showrooms are ridiculously expensive and out of reach of the average work-class Nigerian. Furnish.NG was established to provide affordable quality furniture and homeware items to Nigerians. By focusing on low margins on our items at larger turnovers, we believe we can break the myth that quality furniture must necessary be expensive,” he said.

Through his experience of building a startup, he has learnt many lessons. These include perseverance, innovation, being open to new ideas, hiring the right people and managing them right and being honest through the brand message.

He said: ”During the early days of the company, we had some issues with the quality of work outputted by and the timeliness of some carpenters and upholsters we engaged to produce our items. Now, we work with excellent and experienced craftsmen with the right expertise and work ethics. We have learnt never to compromise on quality no matter how minute the issue might be. As long as any issue has been discovered, it has to be fixed before delivery.”

Advising young entrepreneurs, he said: “One advice to young entrepreneurs is that they should be knowledge lovers and addicts for self-improvement and skill acquisition. With sufficient knowledge and skills, an entrepreneur can weather any storm through creative ways such as lean-startup methodology. A quick example of myself will give more insight.

“Before and after launching Furnish.NG, I have not paid any consultant to create or maintain any of our digital assets. Due to limited funding, I personally designed the current logo, setup the dedicated Amazon EC2 server, which Furnish.NG runs on, designed the e-commerce site, created all graphics materials needed before and after launch, which included PR materials, etc.

“I also actively maintain all these digital assets for the company. If I had relied on third-party professionals or consultants, I might not have launched the company because I would not have been able to afford the bills of consultants. So basically, by being multi-talented in web development, graphics designs, and Linux Server administration, I was able to save the company tremendous start-up cost. A startup founder, who lacks some basic skills and wholly relies on third-party professionals might not go far unless he has tremendous backup funds.”

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Nigeria has moved up the rank in entrepreneurship, thanks to entrepreneurs such as Mezuo Nwuneli, who believes it is time home-grown successful entrepreneurs began to invest their knowledge, expertise and experience in helping young businesses. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Harvard graduate Mezuo Nwuneli has two goals – to encourage more Nigerians to take up entrepreneurship and to serve the economy with good food.

Nwuneli is co-founder of AACE Foods, an indigenous agro-processing company, and a director of Sahel Capital Partners, an advisory firm focused on the agribusiness and manufacturing sectors. He set  up AACE Foods as a social enterprise in 2009 with his wife, Ndidi Nwuneli.

As an entrepreneur, Mezuo Nwuneli ‘s products have significantly impacted thousands of food businesses across Nigeria and beyond.

His enterprise aimed to reduce Nigeria’s immense dependence on food imports. The company sources fruits, vegetables and spices from local farmers, processes them and sells locally. The company offers spices, sauces and complementary food for commercial and institutional buyers, including food processors, caterers, restaurants, hotels, wholesalers and retailers.

It also sources herbs, grains and cereals from farmers across the country and processes them into spices and flours. Its product line consists of nine spices and seasonings, which are sold in retail outlets such as Shoprite, GAME and Park ‘n Shop.

The company also produces Soya maize fortified with vitamins and minerals, which is a complete meal that fights malnutrition, moringa and bulk commodities such as bean flour, chili, ginger and soya which are used by noodle, pastry and biscuit manufacturers.

Nwuneli said AACE Foods has partnered key international development agencies to develop a local supply chain. To date, the company works with over 800 farmers and intends to extend this partnership to 5,000 farmers by 2018.

AACE trains and provides farm clusters with storage technology. This direct relationship has enabled the company to build reliable sources of raw materials and improve the lives of small holder farmers.

Nigerians believe the country needs angel investors, entrepreneurs and successful business leaders, who have deep knowledge and extensive experience in a particular industry. Nwuneli is one of the emerging  fund managers, who has been  entrusted by Sahel Capital with the creation of clusters of companies in the agric sector.

He is a  visioner, who uses this domain knowledge and networks of contacts to support and guide entrepreneurs, creating significant value for the business.

He co-founded Sahel Capital in 2010 to focus on private equity investments, consulting projects and advisory transactions, primarily in the agribusiness and consumer goods sectors. In 2013, Sahel Capital was selected as fund manager for the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN) by the fund sponsors, which at that time included the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ( FMARD ) and the German Development Bank – KfW. Soon after, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority also joined as the fund’s third sponsor. Their investment firm is transforming the landscape by supporting small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises.

He said the fund provides primarily, equity and quasi-equity capital to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

According to him, the time has come for home-grown successful entrepreneurs  to invest their knowledge, expertise and experience in helping young businesses. So far, the fund   has demonstrated that viable commercial investments can be made within the agricultural sector.

According to him, the  fund  invests  only in  companies with a track record of strong performance, significant growth potential, competent and strong management team, and strong governance and ethical business practices.

He explained, however, that the fund was focused on providing growth and expansion capital to existing SMEs and not start-up companies or greenfields.

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Lack of a succession plan is a principal cause of the high failure rate among first and second generation family businesses. Engineering a successful transition was the focus of the first annual forum on family business in Nigeria, organised by Rome Business School and the Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL) in Lagos. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

What can family businesses do to evolve leaders, who can manage the challenges of leading a multi-generational family-owned enterprise? This is a critical issue,  following increasing squabbles among siblings over  the management of family businesses.  The other issue is that some of family business owners usually do not have succession plan and a large number do not believe that their businesses may survive till the next generation.

Business experts and small business owners met to discuss these issues.  The meeting was the first annual forum on family business in Nigeria. It was   organised by Rome Business School and the Centre for Value in Leadership (CVL) held in Lagos. It saw business  owners and managers discuss topics in family business, which  included business investment, skills and the future regulatory framework.

Founder, CVL, Prof Pat Utomi, spoke about the importance of family businesses , which he said, represent majority of all businesses. They also employ about half of the nation’s workforce, and contribute a substantial amount to the nation’s gross domestic product.  However, many of these businesses still struggle to survive the generation after their owners.

Utomi noted that the success and sustainability of family business are crucial to the nation’s economy.

A key challenge facing family businesses, he observed, was ensuring a successful transition from one generation to the other as many enterprises have ceased to exist and a large number of them failed to transit.

According to him, successful business transition from one generation to another was  critical to the long-term success of the business.

He noted, however, that succession disputes thatb trail those businesses can be devastating for those involved.  To him, it was a critical subject for entrepreneurship studies.  He said as more family businesses emerged,  there was need  to protect the existing base of family businesses, and education, skills and lifelong learning should be used to sustain the effort.

Utomi stressed the need for organisations to   provide the knowledge, skills and support needed by their businesses to build and protect their legacy for future generations.

The partnership between CVL and Rome Business School, according to him, was intended to address  issues relating to ineffective management of business succession, provide  support for business succession plan and business transfer, including the different options for business transfer, so that they can learn about the common issues that arise in family businesses, and how to resolve them through planning, mediation and knowing where to seek help.

Utomi  stressed the need to continue to engage business owners  and practitioners to highlight and discuss the reasons why succession planning and exit strategies are so important to long term success.

Director, First Bank Sustainability Centre, Lagos Business School and Chairman, Board of Directors, Diamond Bank Plc, Dr Chris Ogbechie, said the  impact of successful family business transfers can be significant.

Ogbechie,who spoke through Dr  Franklin   Ngwu, a Senior Lecturer in Strategy, Finance and Risk Management, Lagos Business School, praised  the organisers for holding the forum to  address the challenges involved in business succession and transfer, and  urged them to bring forward recommendations for practical interventions.

An entrepreneurship consultant, Mr Aluko Oluwole,  said succession is becoming a pressing issue because evidence suggested that succession has not been going so well.

He said the success and long-term sustainability of family owned businesses are crucial  to the  economy, providing local employment  and  creating  local supply chains.

According to him, family businesses are the bedrock of the economy and their failure must be avoided at all costs.

He counseled that  in situations  where children do not  join the family business, or turn out not to have inherited the entrepreneurial genes of the founder, it would be  in the best interests of the firm to hire a professional to run it while the  family retains some control.

As reluctant as many families may be to tackle the issue,  Oluwole added  that the health and longevity of a family business depend on careful transition plan—and on communicating the results of that plan to the co-owners  at the right time. Doing so, he maintained, would help the  business  survive  and  deliver lasting value to the family.

A professor of Corporate Governance, Lagos Business School, Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), explained that family businesses present distinctive challenges because they combine the values and expectations of the workplace with more intimate family bonds. Ajogwu observed that   while business values and family values overlap in a family business, role separation sometimes become more difficult.

He added that most family businesses fail because of the expectations that  the owners  put the family’s interests first, which may  conflict with the goal of maximising economic return in a business.  He said succession often poses a serious challenge to family businesses.  According to him, many family businesses fail to plan for succession, dealing with the issue only after the death or incapacitation of a controlling family member.

He stressed that founders must provide clear instructions on the succession and assets sharing in forms of Wills to safeguard the family and the business.  If a family business is to survive, he advised, the business owners must prepare legally to smoothly cede control to their children.

He advised that business founders should establish a trust to hold company stock for the benefit of family members, the applicable governance and fiduciary rules are thereafter a matter of trust law as well as business law.

As part of succession plan, he said, a more capable child or an outside manager could be selected to manage the business, while the remaining off springs receives some measure of economic compensation through their beneficial trust interest.

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A chieftain of Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OGUNCCIMA), Mrs. Cynthnia Saka, has said there  were job  opportunities in recycling .

She  said  waste collection business  can create new jobs, which according to her, include municipal collection, sorting, recycling, and secondary use of waste. To her, jobs linked to waste management are increasing  with  growing activities in collection and recycling.

The current economic recovery plans, she  added, should  provide a short-term stimulus for creating jobs and boosting the economy. She called for implementation of strategies  and   long-term re-orientation of the economy to a model that promotes wealth generation.

According to her, policies put in place by the  government  should seek  to support viable food production, with a particular focus on income support for farmers and  boost employment and growth and tackle poverty in rural areas.

She said the infrastructure sector should receive greater attention as the government was keen on stepping up investment despite a challenging fiscal situation.

Mrs Saka urged the government to deliver greater policy support for the  waste and recycling sector,  featuring stronger tax incentives to encourage the use of recycled materials, greater harmonisation of collection systems, and more ambitious green procurement rules.

According to her, the waste management sector has a lot to offer the economy, but more government support, according to her, was needed in the face of depressed commodity markets.

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How a curious inventor has employed his ingenuity to design low-cost agricultural equipment thus boosting food production and creating jobs and advancing agro businesses . DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Emmanuel Ntiti is  a hero amongst farmers in Calabar, Cross River State with his low-cost machines. He works as a Senior Technical Instructor at Government Technical School, Calabar after his graduation.

Looking for an avenue to utilise his skills of sheet metal product development engineering, he considered working on agriculture equipment to create positive change. He then spent years visiting and interacting with farmers.

His agricultural background helped him to notice various problems which the farmers face at the grassroots, he then thought of ways of helping them through his innovations. Consequently, he developed a series of farm equipments targeted at small farm owner. These equipment were directly used on the farm.

The equipment can replace farm activities,  which are heavily labour-dependent and contribute significantly to reduce total cost of crop production. He started with cassava and gari processing machines to help farmers reduce the  burden of production, which is labour intensive.

He also progressed even further to develop  little machines and equipment to  assist  farmers  carry out   successful  post-harvest operations.  Rather than worry about the cost of running the farm, which has gone up, his approach has helped to find low cost solutions that help farmers overcome the challenges.

Explaining why he developed  gari processing machine, Ntiti  said he felt sorry each time he sat near local women processing gari. The processing usually takes up to 11 hours, involves peeling, drying, washing, and grading and frying, and it is tedious and tiresome. This is because  70 per cent of  the work  requires   human  labour. The job involves a lot of hard work and injuries are common place. Health wise, it is also injurious to health as it  causes allergy to many.

Ntiti was keen on finding an alternatives to this intensive process. Having understood the operational principle, he got to work to produce a gari processing machine  that would help  farmers  undertake normal processing in few hours. He first developed a fully functional prototype, which was demonstrated to farmers. The design is simple to operate. He  then invited fellow farmers to share his innovation. They all appreciated him and requested him to make the machine for them.

He is an award winning machines fabricator, whose efforts have been recognised nationally. His innovation featured  during  the  science fair organised by the government.

The government officials appreciated his innovation, and took all steps to popularise his invention- machine. The news slowly spread among the farming community. He also received an award from Cross River State government. This has resulted in enhanced popularity for him. He is working on commercial production of his machines. The highlight of the machine is its versatile processing platform for seamless processing of cassava and gari. The government has taken Ntiti’s innovation to various fora, showcasing him and his work.

Since his innovation four years ago, he has not rested.  While he waits for his prototype to turn into an entire line of machines for sale, he spends his time working on new ideas. The confidence he has gained has encouraged him to develop more machines to help people at grassroots. His workshop is now a centre  for prototype development and it provides customisation for  various clients, professionals and companies. He has  increased small holder farmer’s access to technology, build the capacity of individual farmers, producers groups, and entrepreneurs in production.

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The Sparkle Writer’s Hub founder Adedoyin Jaiyesimi is using technology and leveraging on blog to boost the digital economy. She has created opportunities for youngsters through the platform. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

He Sparkle Writer’s Hub Founder, Adedoyin Jaiye- simi, started  a blogger. She found she was interested in talking to young people about blogging and writing and sharing the same on social media.

Being a freelance writer gives her a lot of flexibility and access to platforms where she could speak her  mind and share opinions.

The impact of her work was witnessed when lots  of people contacted her, asking  to be trained    on content creation.

Her words: “I love to write. It is the best means of expression for me. I also love to read and help people. I live a life that is completely dedicated to God and He leads me in all that I do.

‘’The idea came when a lot of people started to ask me how I write effortlessly. They had a lot on their minds but found it difficult to write them down. Hearing their questions made me realise that writing isn’t something that comes effortlessly to everyone. So, I decided to start a writing series on my personal blog. This didn’t work out well because there were weeks I wasn’t inspired to write about writing. One day after a personal retreat with God, the idea came to start a blog just to help people to become better writers. That was really how The Sparkle Writer’s Hub started.”

Today, entrepreneurs use her   services and to learn about content creation, communication, and social media.The most compelling advantage she  brings to the table is her many years of  writing experience online and offline.

She said: “My love for writing started when I was three and by the time I was in secondary school, I was reading magazines, newspaper articles and so on. After my stint as the Assistant Editor of Y! Magazine (now Y! Africa), I knew that being in the creative industry  was like putting a fish in water. It is where I’m meant to be.“

Sparkle Writer’s Hub was  launched in July, last year. She has been in business for a year and five  months. She started Content Craft, a content and social media consulting company to  help businesses get returns on their social media investment using creative content and social media strategy.

Her words: “I realised that it would take some time before we begin to make profit at The Sparkle Writer’s Hub. So, while I get to follow my passion for writing and help people to write, I also get to make money from it at the same time through Content Craft.”

She started Content Craft with about N10, 000 and with The Sparkle Writer’s Hub, she  started from scratch.

So far,  Sparkle Writer’s Hub is still growing. She has not broken even yet.  She said: “I still use my personal savings to support the business. This is changing gradually as more people are getting to know about us and what we do. With Content Craft, our profit is gradually increasing as well.”

Jaiyesimi had some challenges. “I think the very first failure happened when we did our first event earlier this year. The event was free and overbooked but on the day, only about a quarter of the people who had registered showed up.

“Money spent on refreshments and other things was wasted because the event was free. I learnt a valuable lesson from that in terms of requiring people to pay for value. We tend to take things for granted when they are free. The same applies to our online courses. The attitude to our free online course was not encouraging. People are more committed to our paid courses. Also with Content Craft, I have learnt to put everything on paper and collect my fees upfront.”

The post A digital entrepreneur appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

EIAO Global Services and Exit Strategist Inc. founder Mrs Ibukun Omololu knew she could no longer put off her dream to become a life coach. So, she took a leap of faith and started the business to equip corporate professionals for life after their working years. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

QUITTING an aviation company as a young employee was not easy for Mrs. Ibukun Omololu. She had no time to plan her exit before she lost her job.

However, in her search for a new life, she discovered she had a passion to guide others in their exit from corporate life.

Now,  she is  committed to helping  professionals plan a smooth transition from their nine-to-five a day jobs to entrepreneurship by helping them tame the fear of taking a plunge.

Currently,  she works with one of the leading financial institutions in the country, where she helps executives and other employees to achieve higher performance in planning for their exit.

What inspired her to start her company?

Her words: ”I witnessed two close friends get laid off from their jobs; they were both sound and competent people who lost their jobs and struggled to sustain themselves and family after the job loss. Having gone through a similar experience earlier in my career, it was a like a replay of my life watching them go through it. I realised there was a need in the industry to address this and no one was really paying attention to it. For a long time, I have always loved personal development and invested a huge chunk of my income into it. I didn’t even realise what industry it was then, all I knew was I loved presenting to people, teaching them, advising colleagues and helping them to make plans.”

She started the business a year ago with N250,000.

Now, the business is self-sustaining not without some  challenges though.

She recalled: “ My first failure was I wish I had started earlier but I am happy with my progress in one year. My first set of delivered seminars were catastrophic failures as no one signed up for my services, and this is also my first lesson to my clients that they must never be discouraged in the face of failure as the situation will always change as it changed for me.”

Having survived this far, she advised: ”Start from where you are, every great entrepreneur was once an amateur.  You don’t have to know it all, have the tenacity, the willpower and let your “why” drive you like crazy.There have been several satisfying moments but one of the most significant ones is when I get feedback from people, telling me what I do has impacted their lives and made them plan their lives better; that totally melts my heart.”

On the whole she is  proud of what she has  accomplished so far. Her words: “By all means, I am very proud of myself. I realise that I have not attained a quarter of my goals and not reached where I aspire to be but then I believe in starting with baby steps and celebrating my wins either big or small as I go on. The most important thing is to keep growing and measuring how fast and well you have grown. if only for that, yes I am extremely proud of my accomplishments so far.”

To take off, Mrs. Omololu used all her  salary and allowances at various times of the year to do trainings, register the business and the likes.

Her story shows great insight into the everyday life of an entrepreneur. She’s able to see that the constant ups and downs of owning a business are completely normal and that new opportunities are always on their way. Step by step, she’s grown her company and stayed true to her principle of dreaming big while staying grounded in proper planning. Through creativity and persistence, she’s found a unique way to provide executives and employees with the resources and education that they need  to start their own businesses and live their dream lives.

In  20 years, she  sees her  business  becoming  one of the most formidable to be reckoned with  in personal development and retirement planning globally.

She said: “My goal, as a trainer, is to open up a world of new possibilities to well over two million corporate professionals globally who want to know and believe they can succeed on their own with or without their jobs and in creating more jobs.’’

The post Transforming lives appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

Young entrepreneurs are flourishing, despite the recession, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy on the allocation of foreign exhange which led to its scarcity is producing results: it is encouraging local production of some products.

One of the beneficiaries of the policy is AB Works, a micro enterprise which produces shoes.

It makes quality fashionable footwear. Some of its products are men’s shoes, unisex sandals and slippers, school sandals and security boots.

Given that the population of Lagos is more than 12 million, it means that the firm has a huge market waiting for it. And that means big business.

The owner of the business is Abraham William, a graduate. He is among the young entrepreneurs exploring the merits of the recession. He is discouraging Nigerians from buying expensive imported shoes by producing their equivalent.

He is working with his colleagues to make it this possible.

For him, the future is bright as Nigerians dump imported shoes and go for good local ones, following scarcity of forex.

Though he enjoys the experience, he acknowledges the challenge to make shoes that can get more markets.

He lamented that the company  does not have the fund to get expensive raw materials and acquire finishing machines that are imported from China, United States and  Europe.

His shoes are made with various  components. They go for N15,000 for a particularly sophisticated model. Such shoes abroad go for £30 per pair, as they because of their quality.

He works passion and pays attention to details. Having designed a shoe that would deliver on comfort, William said he needed funds to provide the quality and quantities the market needs.

To cater for the lower and middle classes, Williams is fashioning homemade sandals and  inexpensive, light shoes.

He said doing business in Nigeria is not easy. Though the political atmosphere is conducive, there are  institutional challenges young enterprises face, such as taxation.

As his company continues to make inroads and build a national outlook, his advice to other entrepreneurs with good business plans is to work hard.

He urged youths who are wants to go into shoe manufacturing not to be discouraged, saying the industry is lucrative.

The post Recession as boost to shoe making appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

The campaign to use waste as a means of economic empowerment is being led by elite women, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

n scrubby waste points tucked behind bustling marketplaces and undeveloped land in Agege, Igando, Alagbado, on the outskirts of Lagos, Oyingbo and on Lagos Island are women in green overalls and tattered dresses searching for waste.

The waste collectors are involved in the enterprise, whose aim is to teach people about good refuse management and how to turn waste into wealth.

One of the waste collection and recycling groups is led by the Chief Executive Officer, T. Cynthia Nigeria Limited, Mrs Cynthia Saka, an expert in waste management business, which she started 26 years ago. She is one of those leading some groups to improve the Lagos environment.

Mrs  Saka’s story illustrates how both entrepreneurship and green jobs could help unemployed youths to combat the environmental challenges.

An entrepreneur, she recognises the role of plastic waste recycling. She is concerned with the neglect of waste in some areas of the state and on how garbage pile up in street corners, open spaces and on the roads, creating a horrible stench and spreading diseases, such as cholera.

She retrieves recyclable plastic materials from households, businesses, streets and dump yards. She sorts the materials and uses them to produce plastic products.

Her company created packers and slippers out of unwanted plastics that would otherwise have been destined for landfills. It converts them into durable, affordable, cost-effective and environmental-friendly products. To help the business, she set up a collection system.

For her, a constant supply of raw material to the factory is pramount for the business.

So far, the project has created employment opportunities. She employs 20 workers and creates other indirect jobs for waste collectors and sorters.

Mrs Saka is focusing on getting more people to make a living from waste.

She is excited about collecting waste and educating Nigerians on how to recycle them. She believes that waste processing offers women a route to economic empowerment.

She provides training to help people start their own businesse, by employing waste pickers.

Her Waste-to-Wealth programme trains people to become refuse entrepreneurs, transforming waste into wealth.

Those she trains, collect garbage from dump sites, sort and process them.

She and other recycling merchants buy the waste. She turns the salvaged materials into products, such as plastic packers and other products.

The benefits of the project are multiple: unemployed women can earn a living; residential areas are much cleaner; and households are better off financially.

Earlier, the littered refuse attracted flies and other germs. Now, incidents of water borne-diseases, such as cholera and dysentery, have been reduced, thanks   to Mrs. Saka and other waste entrepreneurs   who clear Lagos and Ogun states of garbage.

In major areas, she is working with other members of United Waste Recyclers Association from secured land for a dumping site, where residents deposit recyclable material, such as bottles, papers and plastics.

Another waste entrepreneur is Bilikiss-Adebiyi Abiola, co-founder, Wecyclers, which  go from door to door to collect waste. The firm’s workers also collect waste from markets. They bring them to the shed to sort.

This done, the waste are prepared for sale to recyclers. For every kilogramme of material that families recycle, they receive redeemable wecyclers points over their cell phones. These points are then redeemed for goods, such as cell phone minutes, basic food items, and household goods. Families receive collection reminders and rewards updates directly on their mobile phones making the benefits of recycling immediate.

The company aggregates the materials into different level of well-sorted, high quality recyclable material to processors alleviating their supply constraints.

Since its launch, the company has collected more than 200 tonnes of waste from more than 5,000 households.

As they’re recycling, they see the other benefits, from the cleanliness, the reduction of flooding, reduction in diseases.

Wecyclers employs about 100 people and  plans to increase its reach across Lagos.

She said her company can create 500,000 jobs. This is because it engages tailors that sow the bags, painters, carpenters, graphic designers and people that support at the hub. They are also machinists, drivers and cleaners.

WeCyclers  is becoming a household name in waste collection and recycling. The company has generated over $20,000 in revenue and owns 15 wecycles.

WeCyclers partners the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and aims to educate and equip people about the need for better waste management.

Mrs. Abiola is the one-woman dynamo taking the waste business world by storm. Her life started in what seemed to be an ideal situation.  She holds a B.Sc in Computer Science from Fisk University and an MSc in computer Science from Vanderbilt University in the United  States.

After graduation, Mrs Abiola worked with the IBM Corporation in the US on a social media platform for the Enterprise. While there, she had the inspiration to form a waste management  company.   She felt Nigeria needed a lot of support with waste management and recognised there were a lot of opportunities within the sector to be explored.

An MBA graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management, United  States, she moved back home  to set up WeCyclers. On her return to Lagos, she confronted a city with a major waste management crisis, producing 10,000 tonnes of refuse daily, much of which clog the city streets and leaches chemicals into the soil and groundwater. To solve the problem, she launched the social enterprise, Wecyclers, to incentise low-income households to hand off their recyclable goods to a fleet of low-cost cargo bikes.

The company  uses a fleet of custom made low-cost cargo bicycles to offer convenient household recycling service in densely populated low-income neighborhoods. A fleet of specially outfitted cargo bicycles pedals through the dense neighbourhoods to pick up the recycling on a regular schedule.

Families are motivated to recycle plastic bottles, plastic sachets, and aluminum cans through its innovative SMS-based incentive programme. She doesn’t do this alone as she has access to other women.

Mrs Abiola is also working with other waste and recycling industry safety professionals on developing positive safety cultures.

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With a background in agro entrepreneurship, Sipasi Ayodele is an ambitious innovator, who plans to resolve the country’s agricultural problems. He has used income from the farm to pay his school fees, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Chief  Executive, L’Afrika Integrated Farms, Sipasi Ayodele, is  happy  that  he owns a farm, but that he is using the money he makes from his farm to fund his masters’ degree programme in Animal Science at the University of Ibadan (UI). He attended the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State for his Bachelor in Technology (Agriculture). He has just bagged the Africa Youth Award for Agriculture, among other honours.

He started farming when he was nine years with just a cock and a hen, which was  given to him by his grandparents. He took care of them very well. The result was a fantastic production. His grandparents were excited and gave him the necessary support to expand by building more cages as the chicken were multiplying into hundreds.

He said: “With careful management, I quickly multiplied my flock into hundreds. When I moved to Lagos for secondary school, I was no longer able to raise chickens, but had not lost my love of animals and livestock management. One of the punishments at school (Mayflower School, Ikenne) was to work with the pigs and poultry. In order to spend more time with the animals, I would get into trouble on purpose. During my secondary school years, offenders were always sent to piggery/ poultry to serve punishment, because of my love for agriculture, I committed more offence in order to be sent to the piggery/ poultry always. This led to my poor academic performance. Upon graduation from Mayflower School Ikenne, Ogun State, it was time to proceed to the university, because of my poor performance, I decided to choose animal production and health because it’s the only course I pass without struggles.

“On getting to the university, I had low grades from my first year to the third year, but during my Industrial Training and practical years, I did exceptionally well to the surprise of my lecturers.”

As there was a high demand for fresh poultry meat, he was convinced his business could potentially bridge the gap in the market by producing a large quantity of quality fresh broiler meat and developing good market strategies in order to acquire a good position in the market.

During his undergraduate studies, he carried out an academic research on “the comparative effect of herbal alternatives on the carcass and organ characteristics of broiler chicken”.

He discovered that poultry sicknesses were a big issue that was silently wiping out large number of chickens.  He dicovered herbs that could be used to address livestock health issues.

He started applying herbs in their diets and suddenly, he noticed a change in their health.  The singular initiative gave him an edge in the field.

“Our solution was  replacing chemical (synthetic) additives with herbal alternatives in poultry feeds, which leaves no residue on man’s organ. It is totally absorbed because it is natural, thereby resulting into increased production, more affordable, increased lifespan of human and better health of man and the animal,” he said.

Today, he has not only made money, he  has earned recognition and awards through his  eco-friendly farming  system and has been invited to events to speak and inspire others.

He founded L’afrika Integrated Farms (livestock farm) where  herbal alternatives are used to replace  poultry feeds micro-nutrients.

But he also had challenges. “During my first production in 2011, I lost about 45 per cent of my birds. I never got discouraged, to my surprise, I recovered my total variable cost from the 55 per cent left over and made little profit. So, I said to myself, this is a viable business to continue. I learnt that failures are meant to build and not abuse us,” he siad.

His advice for young entrepreneurs is to persever. “Painstaking endurance is the way to go. Don’t allow peer pressure to pull you out of your way. We all have our unique time to shine. I believe in anything you do, I’m convinced beyond any reasonable point that if you’re faithful in what you do, opportunity will catch up with your diligence.

“My most satisfying moment in business was when I was invited by education concern for hunger organisation, Echo East Africa, to discuss my local content initiative. Imagine participants from all the continent paying  attention to what is happening in my field back home in Nigeria was wow.”

At L’Afrika Integrated Farms, his use of herbal alternatives has helped to solve the problem of poultry feeds and products contamination that led to various diseases and ultimately death, which claims about 400,000 lives yearly.

”We achieve this by replacing the synthetic micronutrients in the feed with herbal alternatives, leveraging on the local natural resources of our rich continent. We offer clean poultry products; our birds are fed on feeds with herbal micro-nutrients. Our success factors rest on the fact that it has improved the health and well-being of the consumers; it has been locally accepted, increased labour force and healthy family,” he said.

He has carried out diverse environment friendly projects, established demonstration farms, and trained 4,003 children, youths and farmers. He has also trained people on sustainable agricultural practice and the re-use of waste materials to fight climate change and alleviate poverty.

The post How I grew my chicken farm appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

The prevailing harsh economy it has not killed the appetite for good food. Chief Executive, Fifi’s Food House, Onimim Fifi Karibo, runs a flourishing restaurant in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Fifi Karibo is a young chef/entrepreneur in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, and she is doing well.

She  has  two missions: to challenge  food lovers  to  seek good food; and make the sector the most sustainable in the country. Her initial interest was not in food business as she did not read food technology. She studied biochemistry from University of Port Harcourt.  “After my national service year, I nursed the aspiration of going for an MSc programme in the United Kingdom. I successfully got admission in a couple of schools, but my funding plans fell through. I tried a couple of times and was actually losing my mind.  I felt stuck to a particular spot even though I had engaged in other things. I felt the need to earn more. Ifeoma my friend was the chief pesterer. She would say to me: ‘Fif, you should start a business with this talent. You can cook.’ All my mind was were snow was falling and in a more ‘dignifying’ MSc programme. I paid no attention until the realisation hit me. Naira fell even further,“ she said.

According to Fifi her cooking and keeping house talent began when she was young. Her home was a huge influence on her  and she decided to do something with food.

She started Fifi’s Food House  in March last year. However, before she fully lauched her outing, she has done a lot of cooking since 2013, starting with her  sisters’ pot and gas cooker.

Providence worked for her as her business began to grow. Inspired by the array of customers that patronise her business and the  feedback she got, she went a step further to develop a range of menu, fulfilling her ambition to make it easy for everyone to get a good local or international dish. “The business is young and a lot of things are still taking shape. We are growing.”

She uses fresh ingredients  and popular local dishes.

Aside food business, Fifi is also running a high profile events management business.  She has one permanent and a couple of temporary workers, and hires more hands when the occasion arises.

She, however, said she has made a couple of mistakes in the course of her business  and  has learnt from them.

“ One mistake I made was under pricing and over pricing. Either way, I shot myself in the foot,” she said.

Giving tips on how to take off in such business, she said: “Just start, even if you have to start small. Get knowledge in your chosen field. Network like your life depends on it. Do not be shy to talk about your business, you never know who is your next client. Use the new media (especially social media) to your advantage. This is more than one, let me stop here.”

She said she was satisfied with the  feedback she was getting, even when she  made little or no profit. The fact that her clients were satisfied made her happy and fulfilling.

Her Fifi’s Food House, as she called, is a one stop shop for good food.

Her  purpose of doing the business, she said, was to serve beautifully prepared, restaurant food to discerning professionals through an unsurpassed delivery/take-out-eat in experience. The business, she said,  has been enterprising, as she always seeks to improve on ways of offering better services.

Fifi was involved in Port Harcourt International Food Festival, a platform designed to celebrate different culinary cultures with focus on indigenous cuisines. The primary objective is to enlighten the public on the issue of food insecurity.

While it took her a lot of efforts and financial commitment to do successful food business, she is happy she is  realising her vision and plan, and giving customers every reason to stop by for a meal at her place.

One of her criteria for measuring success is running a business where people  and families want to eat. When regular customers recommend people to eat at her place, to her, it is a clear indication that she has created exactly the right environment.

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