Nigeria first policy: Major protection for creatively ambitious entrepreneurs says Leo Stan Ekeh - ITREALMS

The conversation around Nigeria’s economic future took a decisive turn toward local capacity, digital transformation, and smarter public procurement at the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) 66th Annual General Conference, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking during a high-level session themed “E-Commerce and Procurement: Transforming Public Contracting through Digital Systems, Transparency and Local Capacity Development,” Zinox Group Chairman Leo Stan Ekeh asserted that the Nigeria First Policy is a vital shield for creatively ambitious Nigerian entrepreneurs navigating a competitive global landscape.

WEETS 2026 set to empower women for AI-driven future - ITREALMS

Techlife Media & Communications Ltd has officially announced the 6th edition of the Women Entrepreneurs & Executives in Tech Summit & Awards (WEETS) 2026, reports ITREALMS.

As a premier platform, WEETS is dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and celebrating women driving innovation, leadership, and excellence across technology, business, and entrepreneurship.

Lagos Mainland Trade Fair: Entrepreneurs gain export skills - ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) played a pivotal role at the maiden edition of the Lagos Mainland Trade Fair, held on September 6 and 7 at Yard 158, Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, by equipping entrepreneurs with vital skills for international trade.

At the two-day fair, Senior Trade Officers from NEPC, Nancy Okpa and Olamide Olatunde, provided step-by-step guidance on export procedures, stressing the importance of compliance with international standards. 

Sake of Africa women, girls entrepreneurs, Hermplify dangles $300B - ITREALMS

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It is official that Hermplify, a groundbreaking AI-powered platform, has officially launched to help women entrepreneurs and young girls in Africa grow their businesses and learn valuable tech skills, reports ITREALMS.

The platform, ITREALMS gathered, has been designed to make it easier for women to succeed by providing tools for managing their businesses, accessing financial support, and learning in-demand digital skills.

S Mobile Tech Hub beckons on Southeast entrepreneurs, targets 500 - ITREALMS

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•⁠Rolls our free data, airtime to civil servants, students, others

The S Mobile Tech Hub, an offspring of the S Mobile Group has bwckoned on technology entrepreneurs in the Southeast Nigeria as registration opens.

S Mobile Tech Hub was recently conceived by Mr. Kingsley Adonu, a visionary entrepreneur and CEO/Founder S Mobile Group, who aims to manifest the Group’s deliberate programmes towards building a dynamic and vibrant startup ecosystem in eastern region of the country.

ECOWAS Women Entrepreneurs appoint Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji as media consultant - ITREALMS

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The ECOWAS Federation of Business Women and Entrepreneurs (FeBWE) Nigeria has appointed  founder of Penpushing Media Organisation as Media Consultant following his  remarkable contributions to the field of journalism and demonstrated passion for promoting gender equality and economic empowerment.

This was contained a letter signed by National President of the body Princess Omotola Omole titled, ’Appointment as Official Media Partner’, stating that the ECOWAS Federation of Business Women and Entrepreneurs is delighted to have the media founder on board.

Val Cakes boss, Folasade, advises entrepreneurs to separate friendship, family from businesses - ITREALMS

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The Creative Director, Val Cakes 'N' Events Affairs, Oshogbo, Folasade Makinde, spoke to ITREALMS’ GBEMI OMOTOSO on a number of industry issues, advising entrepreneurs to always separate friendship and family from businesses, in addition to making Google her friend.

What prompted your entry into the cake industry?
This was ignited by my passion from childhood. I developed passion for baking when I was little, then I used to go to weddings organized everyday at the church located behind our house.

IWD'23: TD Africa dangles N10m seed fund for female entrepreneurs - ITREALMS

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As part of initiatives to mark the 2023 edition of the globally celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) event, TD Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading distributor of tech and lifestyle products has rolled out plans to empower women in business with seed funding up to the tune of N10m.

The landmark initiative is being executed through the aptly-named – “The HERwakening,” a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vehicle pioneered by TD Africa aimed at supporting and empowering female entrepreneurs.

Women entrepreneurs: NITDA reaffirms commitment for enabling policies - ITREALMS

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The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has re-echoed the agency's commitment as the nations apex IT regulatory body towards creating enabling policies for the development, use and adoption of Digital Technology in supporting and enhancing the living standard of women entrepreneurs across the country.

The DG said this at the first edition of the ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA) Women and Youth Leadership Symposium which held in Abuja.

Academy4Women: U.S. Consulate selects 250 women entrepreneurs - ITREALMS

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The U.S. government continues to support women’s full and free participation in the economy by creating platforms that enable them to thrive in their businesses, succeed as entrepreneurs, and prosper in their communities.

On Monday, the U.S. Consulate hosted a virtual event to welcome 250 Nigerian businesswomen selected to participate in the fourth cohort of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a U.S. government initiative that supports women entrepreneurs around the world.

Rubitec Academy, AMDA train 20 renewable engineers, entrepreneurs In Lagos

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Rubitec Academy in collaboration with Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN), and Association of Mini-Grid Developers in Africa (AMDA), has trained 20 renewable engineers, technicians and entrepreneurs, reports ITREALMS.

Participants in the training were drawn from REAN membership, and representatives of renewable energy companies affiliated with REAN such as Pragmatic Technologies, Acob lighting, Azuri Technologies, Lex Environmental, Ashipa Electric Ltd to name a few.

U.S. Consulate seeks application for 2021 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs - ITREALMS

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The United States of American (USA) Consulate-General in Lagos is partnering Ascend Studios Foundation to implement the 2021 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), reports ITREALMS.

AWE is a U.S. government-led initiative that supports women entrepreneurs around the world, now in its third year.

Ekeh says African entrepreneurs require 40% commonsense - ITREALMS Online

ITREALMS:

Africa’s leading technology entrepreneur, Leo Stan Ekeh, has presented what he called a blueprint for budding and potential business investors in Africa, underscoring the fact that African entrepreneurs must apply at least 40 per cent common sense, 20 per cent spirituality and 40 per cent knowledge of the business to succeed on the continent, reports ITRealms.

In a keynote address delivered at the Africa Summit organized by Nottingham University which held in the United Kingdom (UK) on June 15th 2018, he said, at a mentorship session with a cross-section of African/International students of the institution, that Africa is a continent on the rise.

He also noted that technology is bound to resolve some of the contemporary problems faced by African economies, nevertheless, Ekeh lamented the high failure rate of start-ups on the continent, an anomaly he attributed to the desire by entrepreneurs to take pleasure before pains.

“Success for an entrepreneur in Africa does not come cheap. This is because the continent is still struggling with a lot of infrastructural deficiencies, many of which technology will help resolve soon. To succeed in the peculiar business terrain in many African economies, an entrepreneur requires 40% common sense – especially since common sense is not by any chance, common; 20% spirituality which is important in view of the highly religious nature of Africans and 40% knowledge of the particular business one is investing in.

“It is, however, worrisome to see the high failure rate among start-ups on the continent. A lot of young African entrepreneurs are not ready to take pleasure before pains. As a result, they get too excited at the first sign of business break through and allow sentiments take over.”

Noting that African entrepreneurs must connect spiritually with their true origins, Ekeh submitted that Africa’s booming population which is expected to gross over 25% of the entire world’s population by 2050 is one that is overwhelmingly dominated by youths, thereby making Africa more important than ever to the global economy and arguably the world’s most attractive continent.

“Africa has for long been held back by its quality of leaders, many of whom are partially analogue due to their age and originating circumstances. This is not entirely their fault though as it is caused by a number of factors beyond their direct control. 

However, things are changing. There is a conscious interest in most African countries in the calibre and status of leaders that take office. Also, the current generation of youths have the benefit of better education and global exposure as a result of the internet-mediated world we live in. With the right leadership in place and technology accorded its rightful place as the driver of its future development, Africa may just be the continent for smart investors to bet on.

“It must be noted though that Africa needs investors with the right conscience to help change its narrative for good; investors who are interested in growing the economy, in creating employment opportunities and empowering local talents in the various communities and urban centres and not venture capitalists or angel investors who are only keen on milking the continent for profit and short-term gains,” he stated.

Also speaking on his decision to acquire e-commerce giant Konga, Ekeh revealed that the company is one of the examples of a corporate organization with a conscience, noting that Konga is bound to hit a market valuation of over $4b by 2022, going by the structures the new management is putting in place, many of which will empower millions of Nigerians and Africans, by extension and which will be one of the biggest success stories out of Africa.

Ekeh who reminisced on his time as a boarder at Nottingham University in the mid-1980s and from where he proceeded to Cork City University to conclude his postgraduate degree in Risk Management, also paid respects to one of his former tutors, Prof Bob Carter who passed on in 2012.

In his reaction, Managing Director, Nottingham Africa Summit, Victor Udeozor expressed appreciation for the rich contributions and interventions delivered by Ekeh at the summit.

While voicing the desire for many other successful entrepreneurs in the mould of Ekeh to emerge from Africa, he enjoined attendees and students, many of whom are looking forward to investing in Africa, to draw deeply from the experience and useful insights provided by Ekeh in making a success of their ventures.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Become media entrepreneurs, alumni tell MAPOLY students

ITRealms:

The 1992 set of the Association of Mass Communication Students of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State have told the Mass Communication students of the institution to explore how to become media entrepreneurs instead of looking for white-collar jobs.

Officials and members of the set, known as AMACOS ’92, said this on Tuesday when they came to their alma mater, which was known as Ogun State Polytechnic during their time in the school, for a mentoring programme in the department.

The association, during the programme, taught the students practical aspects of public relations, advertising, print journalism, broadcast journalism and blogging to mark their 25 years post-graduation anniversary from the institution.

The programme, which had as theme: “Classroom Experience and Post-Classroom Reality,” was held at the auditorium of the Mass Communication Department.

It had in attendance the Rector, MAPOLY, Prof. Oludele Itiola; the Director, School of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Goke Raufu; the Head of Department, Kolawole Amos; and the Sub-Dean, Lekan Oketokun.

An alumnus and Founder, Rave FM 93.7, Osogbo, Osun State, Femi Adefila, who spoke on: “How to become a successful media entrepreneur,” told the students that the days of white-collar jobs were gone, advising them to develop the mentality of job creators.

Adefila urged them to have the “can-do spirit” because, according to him, nothing is impossible.

"You must be pregnant with ideas and deliver it. You should dream big and always think out of the box. At times, there may not even be any box,” he stated.

Another alumnus and Editor, Nigerian Tribune, Debo Abdulai, who spoke on: “How a journalist can remain relevant in today's newspaper world,” noted that for a journalist to stand out, he or she must be creative and constantly seek knowledge by reading wide.

Abdulai also listed adaptability, carving a niche for oneself, taking initiatives, integrity and nurturing relationship as some of the ingredients that would make the students relevant in the media practice after leaving school.

He noted that the media industry, especially print journalism, in the country was striking, as circulation had dropped, identifying online media as the biggest threat.

“Your success as a journalist isn't just dependent on the right skills and experience, it is dependent on you showing initiative. How you show initiative plays an active role in your career and it determines how far you will go in your career,” he said.

The Publisher, The Eagle Online, Dotun Oladipo, who spoke on online publishing, allayed the fears that online journalism might kill newspapers, arguing that newspapers would continue to survive despite the penetration of online media.

Oladipo challenge the students to start making money from their smart phones even while in school. 

The Vice-Chairman of AMACOS ’92, Adekunle Adeshina, speaking on public relations, urged the students to dare to be different in whatever they were involved in.

“Walk with confidence and engage in self improvement,” Adeshina said.

The “hairman of the set, Adekunle Adams, said the association in the past had donated equipment worth over N2 million to the department.

The ex-students equally donated a giant generator to the department on Tuesday.

Adams expressed the support of the set for the transformation of MAPOLY to a university of technology.

Appreciating the former students, the Rector, who was represented by Raufu, said the Department of Mass Communication was the flagship of the institution.

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CVL trains entrepreneurs in Delta State

ITRealms:

Estimated one hundred aspiring entrepreneurs would commence Thursday, April 13 in Warri, Delta State a year-long training in entrepreneurship in the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme of the Centre for Values in Leadership. The 100 young people emerged from a pool of 726 candidates, reports ITRealms.

Warri is the third of four cities where the Centre for Values in Leadership is conducting the training for 400 would-be entrepreneurs in Delta State. Other cities are Ibusa, Agbor, and Ozoro. Training has commenced at Ibusa and Agbor while it would take off at Ozoro on Tuesday, April 18 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Participants for Warri and Ozoro training come from local governments in the area. They include Warri South, Warri Central, Warri North, Udu, Okpe, Uvwie, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Isoko South, Patani, Burutu, Sapele and Bomadi.

Under the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme, the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) would partner several organisations and individuals to teach, mentor and guide the participants. A further 200 persons would participate in a finishing school.

Prof Pat Utomi, the CVL founder, said the 400 participants would receive training valued at N3.5m per head over the period. Their curriculum would include Self Mastery, Pedagogy of the Determined, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Finance and Operations. There would also be Vocational Skills Training. The training is free.

Participants would intern in organisations in Onitsha, Benin and Asaba. They would also deploy the vocational skills developed in their training in a community service project to construct prefabricated houses from kits imported into the country. CVL would donate the homes, valued at N2m each, to widows and elderly females with housing challenges. Participants would leave with a starter pack comprising tools of the business in which they are majoring and links to funders.

Utomi said the goal of the Youth Entrepreneurship Training Programme is to combat violent extremism and youth unemployment through entrepreneurship, agro-processing and ICT engagement for young people. The programme targets people ages 18 to 40 years from the local community of the intervention.

Participants would pursue innovative ideas in agriculture and agro-processing including fish farming, piggery or poultry. They would consider the Creative Economy, covering fashion, photography, creative arts, music and film or invest in Information and Communications Technology or Retail.

The CVL founder also indicated that the empowerment programme at the end of the year would bring in sponsors to provide starter packs to participants, in addition to grouping interested graduands into cooperatives with access to loan schemes of participating banks. He said those interested in Agriculture would get land and be part of the out grower scheme of the Integrated Produce City in Edo State.

CVL trained and equipped 100 participants in Ajegunle, Lagos in the first run of the programme in 2016. CVL says the plan would extend to more states, with Adamawa as next destination.

The Centre for Values in Leadership is collaborating with international and local agencies to deliver the training aimed at equipping young people with the skills and attitudes to take on life’s challenges. Partners include The Art of Living Foundation, India, and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Art of Living is an educational and humanitarian movement engaged in stress-management and service initiatives. The organisation operates globally in 155 countries and has touched the lives of over 370 million people. Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the organisation in 1981 with a guiding philosophy of enthroning peace and a violence-free society. 

The Art of Living movement has spread peace across communities through diverse humanitarian projects, including conflict resolution, disaster relief, sustainable rural development, empowerment of women, prisoner rehabilitation, education for all and environmental sustainability. Leadership development is one of the core areas of The Art of Living Foundation, holding a Global Culture and Leadership Festival in India in March 2016.  The Art of Living sent two facilitators.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

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Fear, entrepreneurs nightmare

Commentary@ITRealms:

Setting out as an entrepreneur and making a success out of it is not a task for the faint-hearted. This reality is more pronounced in a peculiar business terrain such as Nigeria. Indeed, most entrepreneurs have the mind-set of an orphan as the pains of failure is borne all alone. This is why success is a driving force for all entrepreneurs. This alone is what gets them widespread adulation and praise.

Yudala, the largest online and offline retail chain examines some of the biggest fears faced by entrepreneurs…

Fear of not being good enough: Many encounter this particular self-doubt at various stages of the entrepreneurial journey. It is a fear that continually gnaws away at the confidence to take bold steps. During difficult times and especially when set-backs occur, the mind will often come up with various reasons why you don’t have what it takes to cut it at the top. The key to overcoming this is to remember that this fear is not alien to other entrepreneurs. Competitors will always be out there with better connections or financial muscle than you. Remain consistent in chasing your passion and allow it work for you.

Fear of re-inventing: Success as an entrepreneur often involves the ability to innovate; to constantly re-invent and fine-tune your offerings, business processes and solutions to meet changing times and needs. A lot of entrepreneurs, including the successful ones, face the fear of evolving at one time or another. This often happens when entrepreneurs grow their business to a certain point and feel comfortable with the position or status attained. In such situations, it becomes difficult to face what needs to be done when faced with the idea of expansion or re-invention. As an entrepreneur, the ability to constant re-invent or engage in positive disruption is a quality that sets you apart. Embrace it!

Fear of failure: This is perhaps the biggest fear faced by all aspiring and established entrepreneurs. The immense burden, shame and psychological effects of failure not only weighs down an entrepreneur; it also creates a huge mental block in the minds of many aspiring ones, preventing them from venturing into business or giving their passions a try. Interestingly though, one of the secrets of most successful entrepreneurs, is their view of failure: it is not an end in itself. Although still prone to the fear of failure, they do not allow it shape their thinking and actions.

Fear of the unknown: Entrepreneurs function in a system that is heavily susceptible to market forces, currency fluctuations and government policies. These factors lend a measure of unpredictability to the business environment. Investment decisions could go south as a result of an unfavourable or sharp shift in any of the afore-mentioned factors. As a result, entrepreneurs live in constant dread of the unknown. This should not in any way reduce the entrepreneurial zeal or the drive to pursue your dreams. As the Holy Book says in Ecclesiastes 11: 4: “He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.”

Fear of betrayal by trusted associates: Life as an entrepreneur often involves an element of partnership or entrusting certain core responsibilities to others. However, the experience of most successful entrepreneurs usually takes in one or two incidences of betrayal or let-downs, often by trusted associates and/or business partners. This fear is real and one that a lot of entrepreneurs have to deal with on the way to success. This should not, however, prevent you from reaching out or giving people a chance to prove themselves. A healthy dose of optimism is one quality that has helped some of the best entrepreneurs cope with this fear. Caution and due diligence also come in handy here.

Fear of ideas drying up: This is a fear that confronts most entrepreneurs who rely heavily on making fortunes out of their ideas. A perfect way of overcoming this fear is to observe other successful entrepreneurs. One quality they all have in common is that scarcity of mind does not afflict them. These are the individuals who are constantly thinking up new ways to make money, more good people to hire and with whom to work, new ventures to invest in or investors to pitch ideas to...

The beauty of being an entrepreneur in a country such as Nigeria lies in the numerous opportunities that abound to create and sustain wealth. Despite the peculiar challenges encountered by aspiring and established entrepreneurs, many agree that the Nigerian economy arguably remains one of the few around with the potential to transform a hopeless start-up into a multi-million-dollar business in a few years’ time. This should be the motivating factor for every struggling entrepreneur out there.

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Modern Workplace: Microsoft gears up to host October episode

ITRealms:

Microsoft is gearing up for its October episode of Modern Workplace, a webcast on thought leadership in business that brings access to entrepreneurs and thought leaders who are changing the future, reports ITRealms.

This webcast, ITRealms also gathered, would hold live on the web, October 13, 2015, at 8:00 am PDT / 3:00 pm GMT for what Microsoft team tagged “Sink or Sell: Rethink how you connect with customers.”

ITRealms equally gathered would avail participants to learn more about the latest sales innovations and insights on building lasting relationships with your current and potential customers.

“During this episode we take a deep dive into the world of sales with two top professionals in the industry,” a public statement made available to ITRealms revealed.

Lead speakers include Mathieu Loury, Senior Vice President and Group Head of Global Merchant Solutions for MasterCard, and Mick Hollison, the Chief Marketing Officer of Insidesales.com.

ITRealms further gathered that while Loury is expected to share how getting smart about shoppers today is paramount to successful business, Hollison would dwell on the most common oversights sellers make and what they could do to transform those into successes.

+ITRealms DSA +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +Microsoft Corporation 

 
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