The visit of Facebook founder, Mark
Zuckerberg, last week to Nigeria is one thing that a lot of Nigerians will
continue to remember for decades. Beyond the euphoria of his visit and the
funny memes about his net worth, simplicity and his praises of the goodness of
Nigerian jollof, we found out from Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), what young Nigerians and their country should take
from this in terms of developing tech entrepreneurship.
Looking at Mark Zuckerberg’s visit, how can the young persons key into
this and build the tech market in Nigeria?
Work is being done on that. The visit
is important. Because Mark Zuckerberg is to tech what Beyonce is to music so
its definitely significant. Work is being done already. The visit is a form of
validation of what is going on in the tech ecosystem in Nigeria. What is
critical is that beyond the euphoria of a billionaire coming to Nigeria and walking
on the streets of Yaba, there is the importance of making sure we are also able
to build businesses that make sense. When things like this happens is that
everyone gets excited that Nigeria is under the spot light.
The spotlight is really
important. The problem with the spotlight is that it lasts for just a short
moment and what happens after is what matters most important. The question to
ask is questions like Is it easy for a young person in Nigeria with an idea
like Face book to build and become a global business, if not, what are the
limitations? Is there limitation in terms of registration? If you look at the
ease of doing business in Nigeria, it is an area we have trouble. Access to
funding and to capital is also another problem. These are the critical issues
to look at when the dust settles after the euphoria of
this visit.
What should be done to help young people who want to become tech entrepreneurs even though there are young people defying the odds to get things done like Andela?
You will always have outliers,
people who will get stuff done when its not popular, who will get stuff done when
the tide is against them. The way to get this done is to ensure that success
stories are celebrated in Nigeria by Nigeria and Nigerians. Right now what we
have celebrated is when a politician who supposedly is a big man. If we put a
technology rock star and a senator side by side in Nigeria, of course the
senator will get more attention. And that is where the problem is. We pay more
attention to politics than to innovation. Politics is important but innovation
is equally important. I say tech rock stars is because one of the reasons why Silicon
Valley is what Silicon Valley is, is that when you build a successful tech
business you become celebrated. You literally become a celebrity for it. We are just asking for recognition
The most important thing is ease
of doing business. Today if you want to protect your ideas, if you want to
register your business, you want to protect your idea, set up something for
your start-up in terms of official docs it will take a long time. CAC says it
can be done online but that process cannot be obviously completed online. We
need to streamline all of these things
To go back to those who are in
business and doing stuff, there is an operating tech ecosystem. The good thing
about an eco system is that it offers support. People can see what others are
building, people can see what is successful and what they can learn. My challenge
to people is to get more involved and active so they you don’t build in a bubble.
If you are not careful, you are going to build in a bubble and tell yourself
that you have built the best thing since sliced bread
How much orientation can we put out there so that we can carry everyone
along?
Our focus at PIN is on the
schools and not the people out of school. The reason for focusing on people in
schools is that my thinking is that for outliers, there will always be people
who are successful
When you are out of school and
paying bills you are not innovating, you are escaping from hunger. There is
difference between when you are innovating and when you are escaping from hunger to pay
bills. They are 2 different things entirely. It’s like someone 100m to win like
Usain Bolt and a man who is running to save his life because a lion is chasing
him. Of course, Usain Bolt will have nothing on him.
We need to begin early. Our work
is to focus on the university, polytechnics and college of education and
tertiary institutions generally, so students can start early. If you don’t
start at the age of 13 , you can’t be a rock star or an expert at the age of 30.
We need to go into the schools right now. We started our 1st programme
in 2012 and some of them will graduate this year. This is the first time we are
having a set graduating. What we have seen is that what many of them built over
the 5 year period, many of them are earning from it, many of them are using it
for their final year project. When their friends are defending a 5000 word
dissertation, they are showcasing a business and pitching a business. Who knows
someone in the audience may be interested in it. That is where we need to start
from. We can’t start from outside because those outside are already trying to
pay bills but we need to start from inside so students understand that cram,
pass and forget is not the best way
A lot of people don’t understand the benefits of ICT to Nigeria, to the
economy and to their pockets. A lot of people are still focused on crude oil.
What benefits will the ordinary Nigerian get from development of tech?
Tech is definitely not elitist. The
only way to realise that is to see how the mobile phone has become very central
to everyone’s life. You see someone on a motorbike making a call.
The interesting thing is that all the
back end work to make sure the network is up, to make sure cell towers are working,
you can leave that to the techies. But using the tools and using it to improve
your process or life, is something that everyone is benefiting from. If you
want to work in the office either in tech, medical science, or media, you need
a laptop, a mobile device or a tablet and that is how tech is able to influence
us. If you are home, and you want to get information across to someone else,
you can make a call or if you don’t want to because you think it’s expensive,
you can do voice over IP. These are the ways where it can be of help.
I’d give a good example for those
who think tech is sophisticated. There’s a difference between reading a
newspaper on Tuesday to find which job is available before you can apply and
getting an email from someone and sending your CV by email. The difference
between the 2 is that they are both looking for jobs. By the time you read the
newspaper, the job is taken because its too late. By the time you post your
application letter, it is already too late. But the guy who is able to get the information
on social media is able to act faster
The beauty of tech is that It gives
you access to info, it helps you act fast so you don’t loose opportunities and
whatever, your process is, it helps you improve it. It is not about elitist,
its about everyday use and everyone can take advantage of it
For other cities outside Lagos, what should be done to develop tech and
ICT?
One thing that is clear right now
is that we have seen the disadvantage of oil in the sense that we have depended
heavily on it and right now we are seeing that we need to diversify. We have an
opportunity where state governments can build an environment, to attract tech
heads. Let Kwara State, Ondo State, Zamfara compete with Lagos to attract young
techies.
How will they do that?
What do you need as a young tech entrepreneur?
You need a place to work, a place to lay your head and internet access. If those
governments are able to use existing facilities eg there are so many buildings
by government that are not being used. If you open those up and tell them go
and work there for one year. If after a year you haven’t been able to do
anything, we would kick you out but if you achieve, we will have a stake in
whatever you are doing or have a kind of arrangement. The basic idea is attract people.
Talk to people who have hostels and have an arrangement so that people can go
there and have access to the internet and give tax waivers for 3 years.
If a state is able to reduce the
cost of living and the cost of internet access, it will only take a few months for
people to gravitate to the state but of course, the state must be safe and must
have access to the market. This is a good time for us to begin to compete among
the states in Nigeria.
Lagos is an established tech hub
right now in Nigeria and there are millions who will need a place to rest their
head in the next 2 years and work from, who will need the right environment to
get work done and it doesn’t have to be free.
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a social enterprise that connects under-served Nigerian youth with ICT-enabled opportunities
