FORBESAFRICA.COM APRIL 2020 FORBES AFRICA| 39I stronglybelievethatAfrica’s
developmentis largelypredicated
on the quality of her people.DAVIESOKEOWO,26,NIGERIA
CO-FOUNDERANDCEO,ENTERPRISEHILLAND COMPETENCE AFRICA
INDUSTRY:BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Whileinhissecondyearasanundergraduatestudyingaccounting,
DaviesOkeowowatchedanepisodeoftheDonaldTrump-produced
businessrealityshow,TheApprentice, andit wasinthatmomenthe
decidedthathewantedtobecomeanentrepreneur.
Hesettoturnhisdreamintoa reality;however,hisfirstbusiness
afteruniversityfaileddismally.
“Imadenosalesina fullyearandburnedallmysavings,”hesays.
Luckily,Okeowohada mentorwhoguidedhimandtaughthimto
builda structurefora sustainablebusinesstothepointthathestarted
helpingotherentrepreneursandthisbirthedEnterpriseHill.
Witha computerandinternetconnection,hefoundedthebusiness
in 2015 asanaccountingandbusinessdevelopmentfirmina bidto
strengthenmediumandsmallbusinessenterprisesacrossNigeria.
“Ihavecometotheunderstandingthatthedepthofthebusiness
structureandhumancapitalproblemisn’tjusta probleminmysphere
ofinfluence,it is a problemacrosstheAfricancontinent;whichmy
undertakingsaredevotedtosolving,”hetellsFORBESAFRICA.
In2017,hefoundedCompetenceAfrica,a socialenterprisenow
focusedontheemployabilityofyoungNigerians.
“IstronglybelievethatAfrica’sdevelopmentis largelypredicated
onthequalityofherpeopleandassuch,I setupCompetenceAfrica
tohelpensurethatAfrica’syouthpossesshighlevelcommercial
competencies,”hesays.
Sinceinception,over 148 studentshavegraduatedfromtheir
competencedevelopmentprogramandimpactedover2,000
businesses.
Returningfullcircle,theyoungmanwhosedreamwasinspiredbya
businessrealityshow,becamethewinnerofone,ashewonthesecond
seasonofTheNextTitan, a Nigerianentrepreneurialrealityshow.
“Ihavea long-termcommitmenttotheAfricandevelopment
causeandmytheoryofchangeis toinvestinthedevelopment
ofyoungAfricantalent,contributetothedevelopmentofstrong
entrepreneurialecosystemsacrossthecontinent,andadvocatefor
developmentalpoliciesina bidtomakeAfricaa firstworldcontinent,”
hesays.
Daviesis alsoa speaker,trainerandhasfacilitatedtrainingsessions
fororganizationssuchasTheBritishCounciland the Lagos State
Ministry of Youth and Sports, to name a few.
MARYAMGWADABE,29,NIGERIA
FOUNDERANDCEO, BLUE SAPPHIRE HUB
INDUSTRY:ICTDressedina veilandabaya, anattireknowntotheHuasatribe
ofNigeria,MaryamGwadabeis notyourtypicalInformation
Technologyguru.
Gwadabeis a techexpertpassionateaboutteachingand
supportingyoungpeople,a giftshediscoveredwhenattending
a programata vocationalcenterandshenoticedthatsomeof
herclassmatesstruggledwiththeirprogrammingskills.
Ongraduating,shetutoredandmentoredsomeofher
friendsandcloserelatives.
Witha capitalinvestmentofNGN150,000($405),shethen
boughtsometrainingmaterial,developeda curriculumand
startedfacilitatingbasicandadvancedICTskillsfromherliving
room.ButmanythoughtGwadabewascrazyandwhat she
wasdoingwouldfail.
Aftera year,in2014,herstudentsexceededher
expectationsandherpackedlivingroomtestifiedthatshewas
doingsomethingright.
Withsupportfromherproudfatherwhosawthisgrowth,
shesetupa hubin2015,knowntodayastheBlueSapphire
HubintheheartofKanoStateinnorthernNigeria.
ThecompanyprovidesICT,entrepreneurshipand
incubationprogramsandconsultancyandproduct
developmentservicestomanyyoungmenandwomen,
especiallythoselikeher.
Gwadabeemploysa staffof 15 andsinceinception,has
trainedover5,000youthandwomen,andsupportedover
20 tech-drivenandnon-techdrivenstartupswithbusiness
developmentsupport.
“Whatis morefulfillingthanthis;impactingthelivesof
womenandseeingthereturns?I havebeenadvocatingfor
bridgingthedigitalgenderdivideforthepastfiveyearsand
nowa lotofwomenareintotechinNigeria,becauseofthe
impactofmywork,”shesays.
Eachyear,shehostsdifferentforumssuchas‘HourofCode’,
aneventforchildrentolearncoding,‘ICTsolutionsforher’
andthe‘Systemtrixseminar’thatteachesthelatesttech
tips,tricksandtrends.
Nextyear,sheisopeninganotherhubinthecapital
cityandplanstoreachotherAfricancountries such as
Niger, Chad, the Gambia and Cameroon.