IDEAS
are like seeds. A virile seed might appear tiny at the outset but can
grow into a mighty tree, if upon planting and germination it is nurtured
properly. So is an idea. It starts like an imagination, flashing
through a virile mind, then snowballing into something concrete and upon
proper nurture becomes something of a spectacle. Seed and idea require
fertile grounds to come to fruition. Every big business was once an
idea, a mere thought in the mind of someone.
Many, particularly young Nigerians are wont to believe that good ideas are not in short supply in the country’s entrepreneurial sphere. What is hard to come by is the fertile ground or conducive atmosphere for the ideas to germinate, be nurtured and bear fruits. With the support of fertile ground or conducive atmosphere the seed or idea could grow into a big tree or mega enterprise providing food and shelter for several beings, human, animal and even plants in the ecosystem.
This probably tells the story of JobsInNigeria, an online portal that allows job seekers search for jobs and apply directly from their mobile phones. “You can also upload your resume and access lots of career related information on the application,” according to Olufuwa Tayo and Dele Bakare, developers of the apps that could ameliorate one of Nigeria most menacing problems – unemployment.
Tayo and Bakare say that the idea of creating the apps came to them because “Nigeria’s unemployment rate is spiraling upwards, growing at 16 percent per year. Issues of employability and job creation have been in the news lately and the most affected by the plague of unemployment in Nigeria today are young,” the idea driven duo point out.
Driven by the passion to solve one of Nigeria’s plagues, they observed that “as at early 2011 there are approximately 49 million internet users in Nigeria, 125 millions have mobile phone but 67 percent of Nigerian youths do not know where to find a job, so we had to resort to technology to tackle unemployment which led to the development of JobsInNigeria,” Tayo and Bakare disclosed.
Today, with the backing of Nokia West Africa that provided training and other technical support, JobsInNigeria has become a resource for unemployed and employed professionals in Nigeria. Today JobsInNigeria has grown to over 100 thousand users and counting.
JobsInNigeria is a good example that as each tree is source of comfort to many others in the ecosystem, so does the successful idea attract and protect many to itself in the ecosystem. This idea conceived by Tayo and Bakare and nurtured by Nokia’s corporate social investment, which seems to have specialty in fishing out virile ideas, which it plants and nurtures at the Growth Academy at the Co-Creation Hub (CCHub) located in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria’s business capital.
It is evident that Nokia has chosen to leave its indelible footprints on the sands of entrepreneurial times in Nigeria with its involvement in the growth academy that it uses to nurture ICT ideas to viable ventures. By lending support to virile ICT ideas through the growth academy, potent ideas, like virile seed are spotted, planted and nurtured to the benefit of the society.
The support of Nokia to ICT ideas through the growth academy has given birth to several enterprises that could otherwise not have been, as most of the ideas stemmed from what could be described as the frustration of the now burgeoning entrepreneurs. The stories of Caban, a property e-market place, JobsInNigeria, an e-job search/recruitment centre, Nearest Locator, an e-map for locating places, iPoliceMobile, an apps with specialty on security tips, Graid Feed Speculator, an apps for farmers show that their founders started thinking for solutions to personal problems and evolved ideas that the ‘Nokia/CCHub Growth Academy’, aimed at accelerating growth of Nigerian mobile software companies nurtured to become thriving businesses.
Partner Manager, Developer Experience, Nokia West & Central Africa, Olumide Balogun, points out the Academy is the first of its kind in the Nigeria and is with the objective of “accelerating growth of mobile software companies in Nigeria. It is dedicated to providing intensive continuous hands-on support to help early stage mobile technology start-ups grow into high growth businesses and build world class mobile applications for the Nokia platform regionally and globally.”
With this social investment, Nokia seeks start-ups with brilliant ideas to address market needs in finance, education, healthcare, agriculture, small business development, environment, inclusive technology, entertainment. To qualify though, applicants would need to have developed a working prototype in Java ME (J2ME), have at least two core members, including a lead developer and show willingness to commit three full months to developing their idea at the Academy.
With the dividends of the investment manifesting in different sectors of the economy, Balogun says Nokia is “pleased to be associated with an initiative such as this because it creates opportunities for young Nigerian companies as part of Nokia’s goals is to make a positive impact on its ecosystem.”
The case of JobsInNigeria is striking because two young Nigerians out of concern on the rate of joblessness developed the apps and nurture of Nokia has helped them ease the pain of many in the course of which they have grown users to over 100 thousand. Tayo and Bakare, co-creators of the apps are grateful for the support they have received from the Academy.
The success of the Academy inks how a corporate social responsibility investment is populating the business ecosystem in Nigeria.
Many, particularly young Nigerians are wont to believe that good ideas are not in short supply in the country’s entrepreneurial sphere. What is hard to come by is the fertile ground or conducive atmosphere for the ideas to germinate, be nurtured and bear fruits. With the support of fertile ground or conducive atmosphere the seed or idea could grow into a big tree or mega enterprise providing food and shelter for several beings, human, animal and even plants in the ecosystem.
This probably tells the story of JobsInNigeria, an online portal that allows job seekers search for jobs and apply directly from their mobile phones. “You can also upload your resume and access lots of career related information on the application,” according to Olufuwa Tayo and Dele Bakare, developers of the apps that could ameliorate one of Nigeria most menacing problems – unemployment.
Tayo and Bakare say that the idea of creating the apps came to them because “Nigeria’s unemployment rate is spiraling upwards, growing at 16 percent per year. Issues of employability and job creation have been in the news lately and the most affected by the plague of unemployment in Nigeria today are young,” the idea driven duo point out.
Driven by the passion to solve one of Nigeria’s plagues, they observed that “as at early 2011 there are approximately 49 million internet users in Nigeria, 125 millions have mobile phone but 67 percent of Nigerian youths do not know where to find a job, so we had to resort to technology to tackle unemployment which led to the development of JobsInNigeria,” Tayo and Bakare disclosed.
Today, with the backing of Nokia West Africa that provided training and other technical support, JobsInNigeria has become a resource for unemployed and employed professionals in Nigeria. Today JobsInNigeria has grown to over 100 thousand users and counting.
JobsInNigeria is a good example that as each tree is source of comfort to many others in the ecosystem, so does the successful idea attract and protect many to itself in the ecosystem. This idea conceived by Tayo and Bakare and nurtured by Nokia’s corporate social investment, which seems to have specialty in fishing out virile ideas, which it plants and nurtures at the Growth Academy at the Co-Creation Hub (CCHub) located in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria’s business capital.
It is evident that Nokia has chosen to leave its indelible footprints on the sands of entrepreneurial times in Nigeria with its involvement in the growth academy that it uses to nurture ICT ideas to viable ventures. By lending support to virile ICT ideas through the growth academy, potent ideas, like virile seed are spotted, planted and nurtured to the benefit of the society.
The support of Nokia to ICT ideas through the growth academy has given birth to several enterprises that could otherwise not have been, as most of the ideas stemmed from what could be described as the frustration of the now burgeoning entrepreneurs. The stories of Caban, a property e-market place, JobsInNigeria, an e-job search/recruitment centre, Nearest Locator, an e-map for locating places, iPoliceMobile, an apps with specialty on security tips, Graid Feed Speculator, an apps for farmers show that their founders started thinking for solutions to personal problems and evolved ideas that the ‘Nokia/CCHub Growth Academy’, aimed at accelerating growth of Nigerian mobile software companies nurtured to become thriving businesses.
Partner Manager, Developer Experience, Nokia West & Central Africa, Olumide Balogun, points out the Academy is the first of its kind in the Nigeria and is with the objective of “accelerating growth of mobile software companies in Nigeria. It is dedicated to providing intensive continuous hands-on support to help early stage mobile technology start-ups grow into high growth businesses and build world class mobile applications for the Nokia platform regionally and globally.”
With this social investment, Nokia seeks start-ups with brilliant ideas to address market needs in finance, education, healthcare, agriculture, small business development, environment, inclusive technology, entertainment. To qualify though, applicants would need to have developed a working prototype in Java ME (J2ME), have at least two core members, including a lead developer and show willingness to commit three full months to developing their idea at the Academy.
With the dividends of the investment manifesting in different sectors of the economy, Balogun says Nokia is “pleased to be associated with an initiative such as this because it creates opportunities for young Nigerian companies as part of Nokia’s goals is to make a positive impact on its ecosystem.”
The case of JobsInNigeria is striking because two young Nigerians out of concern on the rate of joblessness developed the apps and nurture of Nokia has helped them ease the pain of many in the course of which they have grown users to over 100 thousand. Tayo and Bakare, co-creators of the apps are grateful for the support they have received from the Academy.
The success of the Academy inks how a corporate social responsibility investment is populating the business ecosystem in Nigeria.
*Credits: The Guardian Newspaper
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