Hell oo!!
I am applying for the prestigious Chevening Scholarship and would greatly appreciate it, if you read through my essay
Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country
According to the world Bank, Nigeria's GDP has been growing at an average of 7% until the oil price collapse of 2014. In recent years however the economy has seen a resurgence thanks to the rise of the tech and agric industries to which small and medium sized businesses account for more than two-thirds of national output. The world Bank finalizes its report by stating, growth is too low to lift the bottom half of the population out of poverty. The only way to stimulate the economy is by manufacturing products and services which will provide employment that will generate income for millions of households which now have spending power to contribute to the economy by purchasing goods and service.
As part of my short-term career goals, I'm looking forward to stretching my operational experience by increasing efficiency at each step of the value chain and reducing waste which is notorious in the Agric Industry. This is because so much of our food is imported into the country, I strongly believe that food security is one of the most important steps to achieving economic independence for a nation and her citizens. I can see myself working in an agritech company preferably in a start up environment where beaurecracy is minimal such as Tomato Jos, in charge of growth and product development to meet the feeding demands of the community.
I later plan to execute one of the business plans I have been developing for many years in my little book of business ideas. This will be a review of sorts for me, to gauge my progress as an entrepreneur. If my product is able to achieve product/market fit I'll expand operations and aggressively invest in growth. The plan is to one day turn it into a multinational business with operations across the entire African continent.
For me, my entrepreneurial journey has been filled with roadblocks at every step of the way. Nigeria's ease of doing ranking is 146 out of 190 countries to put things into perspective. I regard myself as being privileged to be able to chase my dreams in an environment where daily survival takes the majority of your efforts. Genuine mentorships are difficult to form as the reality is opportunities are few and far in-between. Access to resources is also difficult or at least well out of the reach for most citizens. It is only because of my passion for all things enterprise that I have stayed the path.
The end goal is to give back to my community by starting a foundation to mentor aspiring dreamers and steer them away from many of the pitfalls that most people fall into. I plan to build a state of the art facility to house, develop and nurture future captains of industry by giving them extensive training. Their training once completed will allow them access to capital for a small stake in their company. The proceeds of this stake are to be diverted back into the foundation to develop even more leaders. (Think a non profit Y-combinator). Successful foundation alumni may also pledge to give back to the program.
The incubation process will take several years, the most important of which will require travel to the UK to work for world class brands in diverse industries, deepening the trade relations and exchange of skilled labor between the two countries. This will be a prime opportunity for them to observe the processes of the best companies in the world, gather industry links and start building their own networks in hopes of replicating these ideas in their startups back home.
My model can become the framework for other business leaders to follow. I envision a Nigeria in 2040 where half a million startups are created every year.
I am applying for the prestigious Chevening Scholarship and would greatly appreciate it, if you read through my essay
my entrepreneurial journey
Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country
According to the world Bank, Nigeria's GDP has been growing at an average of 7% until the oil price collapse of 2014. In recent years however the economy has seen a resurgence thanks to the rise of the tech and agric industries to which small and medium sized businesses account for more than two-thirds of national output. The world Bank finalizes its report by stating, growth is too low to lift the bottom half of the population out of poverty. The only way to stimulate the economy is by manufacturing products and services which will provide employment that will generate income for millions of households which now have spending power to contribute to the economy by purchasing goods and service.
As part of my short-term career goals, I'm looking forward to stretching my operational experience by increasing efficiency at each step of the value chain and reducing waste which is notorious in the Agric Industry. This is because so much of our food is imported into the country, I strongly believe that food security is one of the most important steps to achieving economic independence for a nation and her citizens. I can see myself working in an agritech company preferably in a start up environment where beaurecracy is minimal such as Tomato Jos, in charge of growth and product development to meet the feeding demands of the community.
I later plan to execute one of the business plans I have been developing for many years in my little book of business ideas. This will be a review of sorts for me, to gauge my progress as an entrepreneur. If my product is able to achieve product/market fit I'll expand operations and aggressively invest in growth. The plan is to one day turn it into a multinational business with operations across the entire African continent.
For me, my entrepreneurial journey has been filled with roadblocks at every step of the way. Nigeria's ease of doing ranking is 146 out of 190 countries to put things into perspective. I regard myself as being privileged to be able to chase my dreams in an environment where daily survival takes the majority of your efforts. Genuine mentorships are difficult to form as the reality is opportunities are few and far in-between. Access to resources is also difficult or at least well out of the reach for most citizens. It is only because of my passion for all things enterprise that I have stayed the path.
The end goal is to give back to my community by starting a foundation to mentor aspiring dreamers and steer them away from many of the pitfalls that most people fall into. I plan to build a state of the art facility to house, develop and nurture future captains of industry by giving them extensive training. Their training once completed will allow them access to capital for a small stake in their company. The proceeds of this stake are to be diverted back into the foundation to develop even more leaders. (Think a non profit Y-combinator). Successful foundation alumni may also pledge to give back to the program.
The incubation process will take several years, the most important of which will require travel to the UK to work for world class brands in diverse industries, deepening the trade relations and exchange of skilled labor between the two countries. This will be a prime opportunity for them to observe the processes of the best companies in the world, gather industry links and start building their own networks in hopes of replicating these ideas in their startups back home.
My model can become the framework for other business leaders to follow. I envision a Nigeria in 2040 where half a million startups are created every year.
