EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
Entrepreneurs from various sectors of the economy converged in Lagos on Friday to chart a course on how to exploit technologies to overhaul the Nigerian economy and make it globally competitive.
The entrepreneurs used the forum, tagged “Venture Day Lagos, to provide survival strategies to startups in various sectors of the economy.
Speaking at the event, the Director of the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base LADOL, Dr Any Jadesimi, said that entrepreneurs in Nigeria had enormous roles to play to define the future of business in Africa.
She said that collaboration was necessary among entrepreneurs to enable Nigeria to benefit from the 680 million new jobs expected to be created by small and medium-scale enterprises in Africa in the near future.
Jadesimi noted, however, that jobs could only be created in Nigeria if the environment was made conducive with quality education and necessary infrastructure.
”There is need to come up with new technologies that will create new solutions to solve problems in transportation, power and in the agriculture sector.
”We must unite, create home businesses to develop and sustain the nation. The private sector must honour sustainability.”
She said that her organisation had since embarked on the creation of a new master plan for entrepreneurs to work together and contribute to economic development.
One of the entrepreneurs, Mr Adedeji Oduntan, Co-founder of Go-Kada, a transport outfit, using motorbikes, advised young entrepreneurs not to wait for government’s policies or incentives before venturing into businesses.
Oduntan said there was need for entrepreneurs to understand the thinking of regulators and how regulations influence and affect business environments.
”When we started motorcycle transportation, popularly called okada in 2018, we knew that government’s law prohibited okada from operating in some areas.
”We did our plans, met every requirement and today, ‘Going-kada’ is operating in many parts of the country.”
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer of Flying Doctors, Dr Ola Abraham, said that entrepreneurs must invest money for their businesses to flourish.
He lauded the forum, saying there was need for collaboration between investors and entrepreneurs for sustainability and development of any business.
A startup competition was also held during the event with an upcoming entrepreneur, ”Social Lender’ winning the five million naira star prize.
Social Lender is a new technology that enables young entrepreneurs to borrow up to N100, 000 and not less than N1, 000 without interest.