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Okere Charges Entrepreneurs on 3 Powers for Success in Business
Austin Okere, founder and Chief Executive Officer, Computer Warehouse Group Plc, has charged Small and Medium business owners to ensure that their business visions are driven by the “3 Powers of success”. This, he said, includes the Way power, the Will power and the Wait Power.
He made this known in a panel discussion, with the theme “Leveraging Technology for SME Growth”, at the maiden edition of the Annual Fidelity SMEs conference that was held in Lagos.
The panel featured outstanding entrepreneurs in the ICT sector of the country, including Chief Leo Stan Ekeh, founder of Zinox Technologies; Mr. Nicolas Martin, CEO and co- founder of Jumia ; Mr. Charles Anudu, CEO, SWIFT Networks; Mr. Bankole Cardoso, Founder Easy Taxi; Mr. Opeyemi Awoyemi, Co-Founder Jobberman and Mrs. Funke Opeke, CEO of Main One.
According to Okere, “The three powers are secrets that will keep every entrepreneur going”. He explained further that “Will power is the competence you possess to run your business. The knowledge of how to run the enterprise you want to venture into”.
“Many people will start a business, create solutions then go about looking for the problems. And when people don’t buy it, they become disappointed. You first ought to be finding out peoples’ problems and pain points then create solutions that ameliorate the pain. This is the best way to ensure patronage.” He added.
The will power, according to Mr. Okere is “the resolve to keep going when everyone say give up”.
“Sometimes people close to you will advise you to dump your venture and seek a proper job. But, what should keep you going at such times is your passion. It is the passion of a footballer that makes him complain when he is benched, despite the fact that he will still receive his pay at the end of the day. Your will power makes you go the extra mile, while your passion makes you persist in your venture while waiting for pay day.” He explained.
“Most businesses fail because the proprietors abandon them as soon as they face challenges, because it is not yielding as much as they want. After you have put so much effort into your business, you need to patiently wait for the benefits that will accrue from it. This is the essence of the third power; the wait power, which takes you eventually to light at the end of a dark tunnel.” He concluded.
Speaking on how SMEs can leverage on technology to maximize results, Okere encouraged merchants to explore the opportunities that the CWG 2.0 platform affords.
According to him, “SMERP and Openshopen platforms are designed to meet the peculiar needs of SMEs in Nigeria. Openshopen will give you the visibility your business requires to thrive in this age where businesses are going online, while SMERP will take care of your accounting and generate the records banks like Fidelity will require from you to access loans”.
“Beyond that, they are reliable and affordable, and are available on a subscription basis.” He noted.
According to Okere, the essence of developing the CWG2.0 platform is to democratize the technology that companies such as Jumia and Konga have erstwhile used exclusively to great advantage, and make them available to the over 17.7m MSMEs in Nigeria.
“Seeing the value that this platform shall bring to the SME’s in the country, SMEDAN recently signed an MOU with CWG Plc culminating in a partnership that will address the technology needs of the sector.” Austin concluded.
Nnamdi Okonkwo, managing director, Fidelity Bank Plc, in his opening speech maintained that the bank’s commitment to building Nigerian entrepreneurs is one of its core business focuses.
“We have gathered here today to deliberate on the challenges faced by SMEs in Nigeria and proffer solutions that would guide entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses.” He explained.
“Our goal is to produce more successful businessmen like Alhaji Aliko Dangote from our entrepreneurs that are in SME category for now. We have watched Dangote transform from a merchant who went into manufacturing and later transformed into an owner of a multinational conglomerate.” He added.
At the end of the conference, Mr. Okere was given a Distinguished Partner Award for his role in the building of Nigerian entrepreneurs by Fidelity Bank plc. In a commemorative statement, the bank appreciated Mr. Okere for sharing his ideas on the panel. “We have continued to receive excellent feedbacks from the audience who are inspired by the insights and knowledge you shared.” It explained.
Bosun Tijani, minister for Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, has stated that the federal government is geared towards creating about one million technology jobs for teeming Nigerian youth.
Tijani stated this at the official opening of a solar-powered community ICT center built by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abeokuta, as part of activities marking the 38th Lisabi festival.
The minister emphasised the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to invest in the digital economy, driving inclusive growth and empowering the country’s teeming youth population.
“The president made it very clear when I came into office, that he will spend efforts and resources in creating one million technology jobs. So, for anybody that is following the development in the world today you will see that there’s no world without technology.
“There is a strong shortage of technology workforce all over the world, and while a lot of the developed countries have ageing population, and not giving birth to kids, in Nigeria, the average age is 16.9, so our young people are being projected to be the workforce of the future, not only for Nigeria.
“This center here is one of many. In the next two months, we are launching about 30 of them all over the country. This center will be properly animated and we will put resources into ensuring that there are courses for young people to come and take here.
“We are also going to ensure that there are job opportunities that we can connect them to and if anyone wants to follow, follow the three million Technical Talent Program which we have started already in the country”, he said.
He therefore charged the youth to remain focus, and not be discouraged, adding that there is massive employment opportunities in technology as there is no enough people to work in technology all over the world.
“If you ask anyone that works in technology, the entry salary is between N350,000 to N500,000. Technology pays really well, so instead of worrying about things being hard, they should take advantage of centers like this, empower themselves and go for the opportunities the world has to offer them”, he added.
Speaking earlier, Oba Adedotun Are, Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, lauded President Tinubu for approving the centre in Abeokuta, saying that this has no doubt marked another new dawn for the people of Egbaland, given rapid growth, development, and economic empowerment of the people.
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has predicted that the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) will decline as Dangote Refinery and other local refineries commence full operations.
Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, April 1, NIPSS Director-General Ayo Omotayo expressed optimism that fuel prices would fall once more refineries become operational.
He projected that petrol prices could drop to around N750 per litre before the end of the year with a more stable exchange rate.
“We’re looking at it coming down as low as N750 before the end of the year. And of course, foreign exchange will still drop to about 1.3 before the end of the year, and it is going to continue like that as more of our refineries come into place.
Omotayo acknowledged the current economic hardships but insisted that the policy would benefit Nigerians in the long run.Traditional Nigerian cuisine
“The gains at this time are very little, but in the long run, we will make up for whatever sacrifices we have made today as Nigerians” he stated
U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that a deal for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations is expected to be finalized before the April 5 deadline.
U.S. President Donald Trump
The deadline, set by legislation passed in January, mandates TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. assets or face a nationwide ban due to national security concerns.
Multiple non-Chinese firms have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Private equity firm Blackstone is considering a minority investment, potentially joining existing non-Chinese shareholders such as Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic.
In a strategic move to facilitate the sale, Trump suggested that he might consider a reduction in tariffs on China, acknowledging that Chinese regulatory approval may be required for the deal to proceed.
The White House has been actively involved in negotiations to ensure that TikTok remains operational in the U.S. while addressing national security risks.
With TikTok’s 170 million American users watching closely, the outcome of the sale is expected to have a major impact on the social media landscape and the broader tech industry.
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