On October 29, 2020, I was a panelist in South East Regional Program organized by UKaid, on Promoting South East trade in the New Business Normal, with the theme - Improving Market Access Through Digital Trade.

The participants acknowledged the growing volume of trading activities through Modern Trade and eCommerce channels; a challenge to the conventional open markets. It was generally agreed that business dynamics are gradually changing, and that while comfort will drive volumes for Modern trade, technology will not only fuel eCommerce, but offers both comfort and cost-saving.

Electronic Commerce commonly known as eCommerce is the evolving lifestyle of buying and selling of products or services over the electronic system such as internet.

One of the technologies that really brought information revolution in this century is the Internet Technology and is rightly regarded as the third wave of revolution after agricultural and industrial revolutions.

There is no doubt that South East is at the forefront of commerce in Nigeria, but it is painful to note that South East has not embraced technology to further their business interest.

Coincidentally, in the evening of October 29th, after the South East Regional meeting, I came across a post made on Facebook by Ozii Baba Anieto on fresh graduates that earn N15,000 monthly in Anambra State as an office staff, against another that earns N55,000 at Abuja as a digital marketer. I don’t need a soothsayer to tell me that we either embrace technology or be doomed.

After responding to the Facebook post, Ozii Baba Anieto reached out to me and made a scheduled visit with Ifedy Inspire and Oge-Chukwu Ka Mma which afforded us the opportunity to brainstorm on how to use our various experiences to place this town on the map of technology through training and mentorship, in order to build a pool of skilled workforce with IT in mind, and more importantly rekindle and reminiscence our Anambra Dreams.

Yesterday, I called several business operators and societal influencers to find out what their dreams are for this state. Alas, we all dream alike.

In the coming weeks, Ozii Baba and his team will be developing templates to help us set up a Startup Hub that will serve as an incubator for IT startups, skill acquisition and entrepreneurship, connecting and exposing the Nigerian youths to numerous Investors, Accelerators, Mentors and Industry leaders.

The Startup Hub will also focus on topics such as forecasting, business fundamentals, alternate business funding, legal structures, and prototyping.

If you believe in the greater Anambra State, and Nigeria in general, you have to be part of this movement by contributing your time and ideas to the mentorship program, selflessly.

Corollary, in this context, mentoring will be applied for strategic purposes such as talent strategy, leadership development, startup planning, and organisational goals, leading to greater job opportunities, career satisfaction and the increased likelihood of business success for startups.

Can you spare some time to be part of this movement?

What is your Dream?

Don Ebubeogu