L-R: Head, HR Business Partnering, 9mobile, Sherriff Popoola; Business Growth Expert, Tricia Olufemi-Olumide; Public Relations Lead, 9mobile, Chineze Amanfo and Head, Brands and Creative Services, 9mobile, Adeola Kayode at The Hack, an entrepreneurship and business mentorship event organised by 9mobile for SMEs held in Jos recently.

9mobile, Nigeria’s Youth-centric telecommunications company recently took its mentorship and business seminar, The Hack to Jos, the Plateau State capital to help thousands of young SME owners and operators grow and promote their businesses. The two-day event which featured a business seminar and products exhibition was held at Mees Palace Event Center, Rayfield Resort Road, Jos.

Opening the session was 9mobile’s Head of Brands and Creative Services, Adeola Kayode, who said business is the driving force of any economy and involves turning problems into opportunities to make a profit. He said that at the end of the Hack seminar, the entrepreneurs would be better positioned to expand their businesses and overcome their current challenges.

“We are here to share knowledge and insights with you on how to grow your business and the kind of opportunities that are available to enable you to excel. We have experts to discuss and share knowledge of the challenges faced by SMEs with the view to providing solutions. There will also be a product exhibition by some of the participants”, he said.

Kayode further explained that the Hack which has been to eight cities across Nigeria, was aimed at boosting the business acumen of SMEs. He pointed out that one of the main challenges faced by SMEs is the lack of access to finance and markets, adding that there is a need to show SMEs a framework on what they should do to maximise opportunities and partnerships when they are available.

“Access to Finance and Market is very key for SME operators. Vendors in Jos can have their biggest markets in other cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, or outside Nigeria. Access to partnerships and collaboration is also very important. Some of the challenges small and growing businesses face can be resolved by other vendors through partnerships and collaborations “, he said.

Business Coach and Marketing Strategist (TriciaBiz), Tricia Olufemi Olumide shared business ideas with the participants on the best way Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can grow and promote their products and services in their various locations in the state.

Speaking on the topic “Growing Business by Leveraging Online Sales Channels”, the Marketing expert further explained the need for operators of Small and growing businesses to leverage the various opportunities of online platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram beyond selling their products directly to their customers.

The event featured a presentation by Oluwasegun Daodu, Manager, SME Marketing who said 9mobile is helping SMEs to expand their businesses noting that the present crop of young entrepreneurs is the future of Nigeria’s economy.

Also speaking on “Resourcing for Small Businesses, the Role of People in SMEs Growth, the Head, of Human Resources at 9mobile, Sherriff Popoola said the biggest companies today started as SMEs.

According to him, customers are the key element that makes businesses grow, adding that people who want to operate SMEs must understand what they set out to achieve.

The Hack seeks to create a platform to support and promote entrepreneurs in the SME space. It is a business and networking mentorship program facilitated by business experts who share business ideas with participants and groom them to scale their businesses.

The Hack aims to solve specific challenges that entrepreneurs face, with a broad focus on the limitless possibilities in the SME sector.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has pledged that transparency will form the bedrock of his leadership as Nigeria’s chief telecom regulator as this will enable a solid foundation in building a resilient, accountable and efficient institution.

Maida spoke during a courtesy visit to the Hon. Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani in Abuja recently while briefing the minister on his activities, vision, and strategy since the assumption office in October 2023.

“Transparency is key. It is by transparency that we can self-regulate even as regulators. And by so doing, we would be putting ourselves on our toes, which in the long run will drive the Commission forward to achieve our goals of operational excellence,” Maida stated.

He commended the minister for leading by example in transparency in his leadership style.

“Honourable Minister, sir, one of the principles you have shown as a leader is transparency in all your activities and I must say that it is an attribute that has the potential to bring about a transformed industry that is accountable to both the people and the industry players,” he said.

The NCC boss conveyed his appreciation, through the Minister, to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding him worthy of the responsibility to lead a critical sector of the economy.

The EVC told the Minister that the visit is a crucial one which gave him the opportunity to share with the minister, his vision and priorities for the Commission. Maida also said that these priorities were in tandem with delivering on the 5-Pillars of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the Minister.

“I have been on this seat for about six weeks, and it has afforded me the privilege of a bird’s eye view to understand things better, and identify areas that we urgently need to work on. We are currently carrying out an in-depth study and critical review of issues within the industry. One of the areas we are placing priority on is Quality of Experience,” Maida told the Minister.

“At my meeting with industry leaders, we were unambiguous that quality of experience (QoE) will not be negotiable. The Commission will take compliance in this regard seriously, and a standard of what is least acceptable will be set,” the NCC CEO stated.

Maida told the Minister that another priority area for him is broadband connectivity, which he considers as the biggest enabler of the digital economy and financial inclusion. He noted that these align with the 5-pillar agenda of the Ministry.

The NCC CEO also reflected on the need to maximise the potentials of innovations in some technological evolutions such as the 5G revolution in order to create more opportunities within the industry and further boost connectivity.

He informed the Minister that a review of internal processes at the Commission is ongoing to engender efficiency and responsiveness of the Commission, including the digitisation of most of our operations.

“Under my leadership, the Commission will give priorities to the improvement of our regulatory activities. With this, we hope to see more investors come into the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, with the attendant creation of vertical businesses and increased Foreign Direct Investments, revenue generation, and employment”, Maida stated.

The EVC also said that “In all these, the goal is for the Commission to achieve optimal operational excellence which underpins the success of all other priority areas that we have set in order to achieve a significant all-round growth of the telecommunications industry.”

Maida equally recalled his visit to the Digital Bridge Institute in Lagos, where he met an institution with vast potentials that would be an asset in driving a knowledge-based economy, in line with the “Knowledge Pillar” of the Strategic Plan unveiled by the minister.

“Consequently, we will be prioritising the revamp, retooling, and redirection of the Institute towards extracting its optimum value in line with our objectives,” the EVC said.

Dr. Tijani, who warmly welcomed the NCC boss, acknowledged the importance and relevance of the telecom regulator in achieving the nation’s digital aspiration.

“The NCC is a stellar agency, and you have my respect for the work that you do. There is no future for the country without the NCC. Already, the quality you have is good; what we need to do now is to tap into this quality to bring about greater value for the country,” Tijani said.

“I want to assure you that you have the best partner in me. We will work together to achieve the goals and vision we have set,” the Minister assured the NCC CEO.

L-R: Bimbo Abioye, President, ISPON, Hajia Thaibat Adeniran, CEO, Hilal Takaful Nigeria Limited and Dr. Agada Apochi, GMD, Unified Payments (UP) at the recent Digital Agenda Forum 2023 in Lagos.

Technology and innovation enthusiasts and experts have again reiterated that promotion of indigenous software will redeem the country as it struggles to turn its economic fortune around. Speaking during the recent Digital Agenda Forum 2023 in Lagos eminent personalities in Nigeria’s innovation and technology space made this case in different ways.

Bimbo Abioye, President of ISPON, and Group Managing Director of FinTrak Software in his compelling address titled ‘Understanding The Strategic Role of Software in Emerging Technologies and National Development’ highlighted the crucial significance of embracing indigenous software for fostering national growth and economic stability.

Addressing a diverse audience of distinguished guests, Abioye emphasised the pressing need for Nigeria to pivot towards patronizing indigenous goods and services. He pointed out the detrimental impact of the country’s reliance on foreign products, underscoring the resultant increase in unemployment rates and the stifling of domestic economic growth.

“The ‘Japa’ syndrome continues to exacerbate the issue,” remarked Abioye, urging a shift towards supporting locally developed software as a means to generate employment for the country’s youth. Citing the potential of the software industry to employ millions, he highlighted the disparity between Nigeria and countries like India, where technology firms have propelled significant employment opportunities.

Drawing parallels to India’s success in leveraging software for national growth, Abioye stressed the transformative potential of indigenous software across sectors like healthcare, education, agriculture, and governance. He underscored the need for collaborative efforts among government, industries, and academia to create an environment conducive to the growth of the local software industry.

Joining the discussion, Amos Emmanuel, founder of Innovationbed, spoke on the urgent need for inclusive governance and the bridging of developmental gaps. He highlighted Innovationbed’s role in establishing a tech-driven innovation ecosystem focused on addressing socioeconomic disparities and fostering home-grown innovation in Nigeria.

Innovationbed.Africa emerges is a key initiative driving innovation capacity development among the youth, governments, and institutions, aiming to construct a fairer, sustainable, and inclusive digital society crucial for the development of developing countries.

The program underscores the urgent need for collective action and innovation across eight core economic sectors. It emphasizes the involvement of every individual and innovator to fuel Nigeria’s national development.

In the wake of these discussions, Don Pedro Aganbi, Managing Consultant, TechTV, convener of the Digital Agenda Forum, noted the imperative to embrace indigenous software as a driver of national development becomes increasingly evident.

He argued that the call to action resonates strongly – to support, promote, and invest in home-grown software solutions, heralding a technologically empowered future for Nigeria.

Front row left: Representative of Bloomhill Agroservices, Germany, Elizabeth Ogbile; representative of (B) Energy, Germany, Katrin  Puetz; S.A on Strategy to the EVC/CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Mohammed Mahmoud; team lead, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO), Germany, Mr. Michael Schmidtz; Representative of the EVC/CEO of NASENI, Coordinating Director, Planning and Business Development, Mrs. Nonyem Onyechi; Coordinating Director, Science Infrastructure, NASENI, Prof Ibrahim Umar Gaya; Director, Finance and Accounts, Mr. Jibril R. Haske; and the Deputy Head, UNIDO Nigeria Office, Mr. Adekunle Olusile after a collaboration meeting between NASENI and UNIDO delegation on Monday, December 11, 2023 in Abuja.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) is seeking the collaboration of National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to reduce energy poverty in the country via domestication of renewable energy solutions and to fast-track industrial development of the country.

The Deputy Head, UNIDO Nigeria Office, Mr. Adekunle Olusile who led a delegation to visit the Management of NASENI in Abuja, sought amongst others to facilitate German companies and research institutions’ collaborations with the Agency to reduce energy waste and support the present government’s food production agenda.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, represented by the Coordinating Director, Planning and Business Development, Mrs. Nonyem Onyechi in company of top management of the Agency received the team, saying that the management appreciated UNIDO’s Office in Nigeria for extending hands of fellowship to NASENI.

Onyechi informed the visitors that NASENI has the mandate of driving Nigeria’s industrial development through technology transfer and domestication, production of capital goods to be ceded to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs generally.

In a short presentation on behalf of the Agency, Deputy Director, Engineering Infrastructure, Engr. Emmanuel Ajani, detailed various interventions, programmes and projects of NASENI in the renewable, agricultural and industrial sectors, showcasing to the delegation various technological innovations, products and machineries produced by NASENI.

The UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) Germany Team Lead, Michael Schmidt said the organisation mobilises investments and technologies for sustainable industrial development and supports investors and companies by facilitating technology transfer from Germany to developing countries and economies in transition. Therefore, the visit to NASENI was more like a fact-finding, so that the areas of collaboration between German companies and the Agency could be established, leading to socio-economic development of the country.

He said the delegation was seeking to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government’s food production agenda through food processing and food packaging, reduction of energy waste through biogas production and renewable energy solutions such as solar PV, solar batteries, among others.

The Deputy Head, UNIDO Nigeria Office said he had identified several areas of collaboration from NASENI’s presentation, while adding that “Germany is very strong in renewable sector with several of its companies who are important to such partnerships and are seeking to know Nigeria’s plan to grow its solar PV usage before 2030.”

In order to take the conversations forward geared toward action, NASENI and UNIDO thereafter set up a working group or committee to drive the initiatives and also to bring all prospective partners on board.

Some of the German companies represented at the meeting held in Abuja included Bloomhill Agroservices, (B)energy, Wilo Pumps, GEA, EMPO-NI and University Weihenstephan Triesdorf amongst others.