There are many theories and opinions on the fundamental motivation behind an entrepreneur. What motivates him or her to undertake the risk of starting a new business venture, mostly in a harsh ecosystem, where one must work against all odds to get those impossible visions up and running? Yet, the common denominator is that entrepreneurship is a complex and challenging journey that requires nothing less than passion to succeed, regardless of material motivations like money and intangible human support systems.
One unspoken factor is the thinking aspect. The entrepreneur must embody the ability to think out solutions creatively, and then effectively deploy strategies with resilience and flexibility.
This is why the trending online entrepreneurship programme, called ‘Thinkpreneur’ is worthy of attention. With a focus on high-tech infrastructure construction, consulting, energy, agriculture, and healthcare, Thinklab Group Limited allocated N1bn for the initiative that is open to entrepreneurs, startups, and innovators who have a viable business idea or solution. It is suitable for individuals or teams looking to scale their ventures or make a positive impact in their respective industries, and this is what Nigeria needs at this moment.
The programme offers different types of funding, including grants, equity investment, or venture capital, depending on the structure and requirements. To participate, interested entrepreneurs are required to record a one-minute video pitch of their business idea, introducing the idea, explaining its current valuation, and specifying the investment amount sought. The video pitch should also outline the proposed return on investment over a specific period. Although the first phase has been concluded, and 75 successful candidates chosen from more than 2,000 applicants, the interesting part is that all applicants were required to share their video on social media platforms, showing the digital Nigeria signature.
The shortlisted applicants will undergo a rigorous selection process, which will include a pitch competition and a thorough review of their business plans. Successful applicants will receive details about the funding available. The judging panel will evaluate your application based on several factors, including the originality of your idea, its potential for social or economic impact, scalability, sustainability, and the clarity and effectiveness of your pitch.
It is my utmost desire that Nigerian (thinking) eco-entrepreneurs find their way to the top of this programme, to serve our society with their innovations. Over the past decade, many eco-conscious entrepreneurs have appeared on the Nigerian horizon, offering decisive solutions to our many ecological challenges. One of such companies that easily comes to mind is the Lagos-based waste recycling management company, Wecyclers.
So, I dug deeper. Who is the man behind the idea? Interestingly, he is an architect, endowed with all the potential to become Nigeria’s foremost eco-champion. Dr Sa’id Alkali Kori is a Nigerian businessman, philanthropist, and academician, recognised for his impactful contributions to finance solutions, infrastructure development, and innovation. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Manchester and a doctorate from the University of Liverpool in digital architectural design. Aside from practising architecture, Dr Kori has also impacted knowledge by teaching architecture at the University of Liverpool and Ramat Polytechnic in Maiduguri.
There are two takeaways from what Dr Kori is doing with Thinkpreneur. The first is that he is reviving the spirit of YouWin!, an audacious innovation that opened the window of innovation for the young Nigerian but which was cut short before it was able to position us for a national revival. If he succeeds, then the private sector has reopened a new window of progress.
An acronym for ‘Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria’, YouWin! was a government programme of innovative business plan competition aimed at creating jobs by encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurial youths in Nigeria to develop and execute business ideas that would lead to job creation. The programme started in 2011, but interestingly, the ‘YouWin! Women’ was announced in the second edition, which was designed for only female entrepreneurs aged 45 years and below. It is instructive to note that some of the innovators who won that competition are still doing very well today, with a remarkable global presence.
However, the present global paradigm dictates how digital technology has become a fundamental aspect of reducing our carbon footprint. Dr Kori’s story shows that one key advantage is in securing a niche in the next generation of technology. He disclosed in a recent interview that he was privileged to have an enlightened father who empowered him with such a digital tool at an early stage in his career. His father bought him a personal computer when few people were conversant with its usage, even at the academic level.
“When my dad bought a fairly brand-new computer when there were not many computer systems. I remember he travelled to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and of all what he had he just bought that computer for me at $1,500 and he brought it to me and of all of our colleagues, you know the school, I was the only one that was into digital architectural designs because I could use it to make quite some good designs. So, that was how I started to really get into projects, supervising projects, and I was just twenty years old. That was how I started early.”
Concerning how he created the programme, Dr Kori revealed that in creating Thinkpreneur, he was driven by the reality that Nigerian entrepreneurs were faced with the daunting challenge of finding capital with which to make their ideas a reality.
“We always lack the funding, unlike the sons of Mr A or B, who are rich and can easily be given opportunity right through their parents’ network and net worth, and so on. But for many people out there, they have the idea, but as young people, they are lacking the capital to start up. Additionally, the concept of borrowing from the bank is almost impossible because the son of Mr A or B here, who is rich, can use his father’s house as collateral to get solid financing to start with, but this is not the same for the ordinary entrepreneur out there.”
Perhaps, we have arrived at that place to realise that architecture is critical to changing the way Nigeria generate and uses energy when practitioners understand and leverage the green potential of their profession. I vividly remember that in 2017, the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Ministry of Environment agreed to partner in the Waste-to-Waste project, which targets the use of waste to generate electricity and organic manure, and to create employment.
The organisation had entered a partnership with GIZ, the German Cooperation Agency in Nigeria, to train Nigerian architects on Energy Efficiency in Building Design. About 3,000 architects were scheduled to become proficient in Energy Efficiency in Building Design. In fact, GIZ provided part-sponsorship for an architect from the institute to participate in an advanced course on Energy Efficiency in Building Design in Germany in March 2017. So, I wonder, over eight years down the line, what is the outcome of such audacious green architectural initiatives?
The word architect originates from the Greek words that denote “chief builder”, and it is both the process and product of planning, designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures. We need men and women who will be able to creatively design the national structures for sustainable development in all spheres, especially in the agricultural and environmental sectors, designed with efficiencies that minimise energy needs, optimise operations, and reduce handling costs and transportation times. The architect is the one whose job it is to create this built environment, taking into cognisance the resources available and the ecological gains to be achieved.
