The Top African Tech Hubs Building the Next Generation of Global Businesses in 2021

 

In the last ten years, Africa has experienced unprecedented growth in its digital technology sector. The tech ecosystem is a fast-paced, high-growth environment that has seen the continent witness more than 700 tech hubs and counting.

These African tech hubs offer tech startups access to venture funds from all over the planet. They support and promote home-grown solutions to local, and sometimes global, problems. Many African entrepreneurs have also benefited from the professional and social networks these tech hubs provide.

Cities such as Lagos, Nairobi, Cairo, Cape Town, and Johannesburg lead with the highest number of tech hubs with each having a minimum of 20. The likes of Accra, Tunis, and Abuja are home to at least 15 tech hubs. Other African cities such as Bamako, Kampala and Dakar can each count a minimum of 10 tech hubs.

Nigeria (85), South Africa (80) and Kenya (50) lead the pack in terms of the number of tech hubs in each country. The likes of Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Ghana, and Ivory Coast are also hotpots. This article highlights the foremost tech hubs in Africa.

1. Wennovation Hub, Nigeria

Founded in 2010, Wennovation hub has developed some of the most popular tech platforms in Nigeria. The likes of Asusu, Reliance HMO, Crop2Cash, AfriMash, FarmMonie, and ProNov are some platforms that have been supported by Wennovation hub.

2. Silicon Cape Initiative, South Africa

Silicon Cape is a tech ecosystem enabler that was established in 2009. It is an inclusive environment that brings in renowned entrepreneurs and tech talents across the continent to help startups achieve their goal of creating globally respected organisations.

3. Co-Creation Hub (Cc Hub), Nigeria

Cc Hub was established in 2010 and currently has its offices in several parts of Nigeria including Lagos and Abuja. This incubator also functions as a multi-organisation, supporting new solutions to social problems. The tech hub is in partnership with American tech giants such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google. So far, they have supported more than 95 startups.

4. SmartXchange, South Africa

Established in 2012, this South African IT hub provides enterprise support and development to tech startups. It also partners with tertiary institutions. So far, SmartXchange has supported the likes of AdNotes, SMEPlus, and Mzansi Smart TV.

5. iHub, Kenya

Launched in 2010 and located in Nairobi, iHub has the central purpose of connecting investors with talented entrepreneurs in the country. iHub is in partnership with multiple local and international investors and tech companies including Oracle, Google, Facebook, and Safaricom. The hub has so far supported more than 450 tech startups. Some of them include M-Farm, Giftchain, Secvate Solutions, and Biashara Africa.

6. Flat6Labs, Egypt

This seed and early stage venture capital firm runs arguably the most advanced startup program in Africa. The North African tech hub selects 100 tech startups each year and also funds these platforms. Flat6Labs provides investment capital of around $500k. Some of the tech platforms it has supported include Hawaya, Chefaa, Moneyfollows, and Instabug.

7. Nailab, Kenya

The Nairobi-based startup incubator provides programs that help tech entrepreneurs figure out solutions to some of their pain points. Established in 2011, Nailab has so far incubated the likes of MyOrder, KejaHunt, and Tusque.

8. MEST, Ghana

Also known as Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, MEST is a Ghanaian incubator that was founded in 2008. The Accra-based ecosystem provides tech skills, funding, training, and support to tech entrepreneurs. It also has branches in Lagos, Nairobi, and Cape Town. Kosmos Energy and Anitrack are some of the successful startups the tech hub has supported.

9. Iceaddis, Ethiopia

Based in Addis Ababa, Iceaddis was founded in 2011 as a coworking and an innovation hub. The hub supports tech founders in their quest to build sustainable tech solutions. Addiscan, GOSTAR, and Kartra are notable startups that have sprung up from Iceaddis.

10. ActivSpaces, Cameroon

ActivSpaces offers short courses on digital skills and provides coworking space and internships for tech-inclined young people. The hub was created in 2010 and has so far grown more than 80 startups.

Final Words

Several thriving African tech startups have sprung up from organisations such as Jumia, Konga, and Andela. However, since these were not founded as tech hubs, they do not appear on our list.

Ours is a Society

Ours is a backward society

A society where every twenty-one year old lady whether they're in the university or not, jobless or ambitionless, wants to get married

And they'd do anything

To get pregnant

And have an elaborate conjugal ceremony

They are feminists with misplaced priorities 

In their younger years of feminist activism, marriage should never be a goal, an achievement, a milestone, or a yardstick with which to benchmark the girl child 

But in their older years, their brains become inverted 

And the marriage they now aspire to, they eventually become infidels in it

It was never a principle for them to build, anyway 

They just saw the crowd go in a direction, and followed mindlessly 

Ours is a society built on fraud

A society where dishonesty wins every other time

We celebrate theft and castigate ingenuity 

We have invented euphemistic synonyms for thieves 

We call them politicians, yahoo boys, civil servants, investors, influencers, celebrities, students, national -- union, the list goes on 

But we can't forget "pastors" 

These ones are the god of men

They are probably the biggest catastrophe in a society already saddled with disaster 

Their specialty is creating religious bifurcation until they successfully dichotomise the society

They become the proponents of conspiracy theories pitching the poor masses as oppositions

People whom they know can't think for themselves irrespective of their socioeconomic attainment 

Their religious clothing is merely for political and financial gains

Their lies can never and should never be scrutinised

Ours is a society of stagnation

A society where nothing becomes better

Worse is usually the case

All the things we thought were abnormal while growing up, have become the norm

The things we could almost vow would never happen, have happened a zillion times and even celebrated

We have thrown values out of the window

Did we ever have values, even?

All we worship is money

Worse, not naira

Like I said, we have no values

Our currency isn't any different

It gets devalued consistently just as our society 

Our god is dollars

And she is the one we pray to

Commodities, Markets, and Profits

All major markets are run like a mafia. No free entry and exit. Prices are fixed within a range. A minuscule number of buyers and sellers (stakeholders) determine prices. Hence, profit maximisation is largely subjective to the market, not the producer.

Many times, the difference between profit and loss is timing. All major markets deal with commodities. Commodity markets have invisible hands that control demand, supply and price. There's high competition among producers as selected producers monopolise price and supply determination.

The sellers are almost always at the mercy of the buyers. This decreases as value addition increases. All major markets, all commodity markets are imperfect.

NB:

1. Here, producer = supplier = seller as consumer = user = buyer.

2. Commodities here are homogeneous goods (agric, FMCG, devices, etc)

The only way producers can avoid competition and price fixation is by decommodifying their products and/or value addition. The latter is relatively easier (not easy). Profitability can also be earned by lowering production costs on quality and directing resources at production volume (quantity). 

Further Investment: How I Made $3,671 in Five Days [Unliterally]

All the fun would be lost if I update you with daily transactions. In the meantime, I’ll blog about the stocks I’m invested in as frequent as I can. You probably waited for what happened the following Monday, I’m compounding everything in this single post.

In case you missed it, I am enjoying my time playing an investment simulation game on the Investopedia platform. I started with $100,000 on May 31, 2019 and the base cash had increased to $103,671.08 when I would check on Wednesday Morning June 5, 2019 before the markets opened.

Here’s a blog detailing how it all started.

First things first, this is not real money. It’s a game.

In the first post, I remember asserting how volatile Facebook stocks are, particularly when there’s a mention of data breach, internet security, privacy concerns, monopoly accusations/sanctions, et cetera. Well, it turned out I was right. I was watching CNBC on Monday evening when I saw that Google and Facebook had become the (usual) victims of monopoly accusations. The following day (Tuesday), I felt a little bad and a little sapient. Why? Facebook stocks had plummeted to around $161 from $185 before trading on Friday!

I felt a little sapient because I had shorted by short selling at $180 and buying at $164 which is a good profit. I felt bad because I would have gained more dollars if I was just a little patient. But then, the profit outweighs the extra margin that could have been. I do not hope to be a bear, but it’s good to make winning bets such as this.

Now, Facebook had made me $1,600. I had seven investments in my portfolio. Six left. Next!

I probably made a rush buying 100 shares of Microsoft at around $125. The price hasn’t reached that level since Friday. Although on Wednesday, I saw it around $124+ and I believe it would eventually break the $1tr cap permanently, I still somewhat made an expensive buy. So, I’m still losing money on that one.

General Electric is also looking good. I have to say it is one of the unstable stocks in my portfolio. You just never know the direction. But, I’m in this with you, GE.

During trading hours, Berkshire Hathaway shares were also up on Wednesday. My belief that Baker Hughes is a growth company was also confirmed as the stock value was up too.

I am still invested in Tesla Motors. The stock value was also up on Wednesday, but nothing great has happened. It is still trading around the purchase price of $185. I hope nothing deters it from gaining momentum. Tesla trading below $30b might be catastrophic for the real life investors (LOL).

After failing to buy 1,000 shares of Opera, I tried again. Investors were holding on to it and I didn’t quite trigger some tricks too. How did it work this time? Everything changed. I told the broker to keep an eye until all 1,000 are secured. Monday morning, I was glad the price had even descended from $11+ to $10+. I bought 1,000 units at such a good price, and by Wednesday it was up again.

PS (Thursday Edit):

All stocks except OPRA were up Thursday. GO!!!

Final Words

I will look into doing some stock business with Amazon. In my eyes, Amazon alongside Microsoft is the only large corporation that is truly innovating on every side. It is hard to see any phenomenal growth coming from Amazon, but growth is certain!

The gods answered Uber’s prayers. The stocks reached and surpassed IPO price on Wednesday, but I’m definitely not buying.

Value investors like Warren Buffett have noted that you don’t check the stocks every minute. Just make a decision and sit back. I’ll be doing just that in the subsequent days with occasional updates.

Further Notes on e-Commerce for Beginners

This post is the result of a tweet I saw, made a comment on, shared on WhatsApp with caption, replied by many, and with a very good friend asking that I write more on it, though others asked for more input too. But, SMOG was more intentional with his statement. He wanted something lengthier that could be shared on his weblog.

When I shared the tweet, I did not exactly focus on the fashion direction like the original poster. Rather, my point was building lean businesses or startups.

I’m discussing WooCommerce, Shopify, WordPress, Jumia, Jiji, Facebook, Instagram, and Paystack.

While I have never been in the e-commerce space as a seller, I have almost done that previously. I am not thinking about it at the moment, but working with over 50 personal brands has opened my eyes to lots of things about e-commerce. I am definitely not an expert in that field, but I have an extensive knowledge about it and about building businesses, starting up, and growing further.

First, my reply to a certain tweet that said fashion designers should consider patenting their works still stands. Patents destroy innovation. There’s just too much I can say about that. Imagine cars were continually patented like they were ab initio? Imagine the mobile app store was patented or even 3G? Already, patents have limit to claims, but it shouldn’t be embraced going forward. In the IT space, open-source is now the real thing.  

Back to e-Commerce and Business Building

If you are starting a business, no matter how much you are starting with, you are a startup and should acknowledge that. I believe startups should embrace the lean way of doing business. So, to e-commerce starters, my points are:

1.      Build an e-commerce store, not a website. Platforms like Shopify, Instagram, and Paystack have made it easy for you to actually sell online without necessarily building the website ground up. I think Paystack allows you to sell on Facebook and even accept payments without the buyer being directed to some other ‘proper’ website. Instagram now allows you to sell the products you display and accept payments for them as well. With Shopify, you will of course have to pay some dollars monthly. Yet, it is nothing compared to doing the work or paying someone to build a website for you, then using all the plugins like WooCommerce and maybe integrating Paystack as another layer or whatever.

2.      If you have the money to pay some developer to build a website from ground up, you may do that. However, I do not encourage spending hundreds of thousands on a business you have not even started, especially something you can start with near zero capital like e-commerce. It’s great to have your own WordPress e-commerce platform that has been integrated with a WooCommerce plugin and all the beautiful themes the world has never seen. However, you may just discard this advice and the one above and go for the third…

3.      Platforms like Jiji and Jumia are easy markets where you can sell anything. Jumia receives commissions on the products you sell, while Jiji none. If I wanted to be closer to my customers, which is something I love, I’d go with Jiji. If I wanted to just make it a side hustle, make some cash while someone does the rest, I’d choose Jumia.

In all, I’d rather go with using Facebook and Instagram plus a Paystack layer that handles the payments in conjunction with Jiji and Jumia.

One, the social media platforms give me a better understanding of my customers who are liking, commenting, and buying. Two, Jiji gives me a great connection with my customers, while Jumia does the selling and marketing part (though you should do some marketing on your own too).

Last Words

Weigh your options. Start wise.

Narrow Thought: The Innovation Bug

Building a company, the first question founders answer is hardly “what sector should we conquer,” the quintessential question is always “what next.”

I am not sure Steve Jobs was thinking the exact thing I am thinking when he decided to rebrand Apple as Apple Inc, leaving behind Apple Computers. Apple was becoming more of the conventional all-conquering American corporation, albeit with disruptive innovation. Today, Apple has pivoted from just computers (though their businesses are still in the technology market, but computers back in the 1990s were largely stereotyped as desktops) and now predominantly electronic/digital products.

Apple has lacked pure innovation in recent years, but part of it may be due to a narrow scope in thought. Several companies are guilty of this same crime. I will give you examples.

Why did Facebook have to acquire WhatsApp and Instagram? I understand that they needed to control the space they occupy. But, why didn’t Mark Zuckerberg think of ‘what next’ like he did when starting the company? Why do you have to keep making investments in the same industry just so you can kill yourself and others innovating and just make more money?

I do not in any way promote any organisation above another, but I love Amazon. Amazon and Microsoft are the companies I can say have been truly innovating in the last five years. Amazon really is the true innovator here. Whole Foods, Prime, AWS, Amazon Go, KDP, e-commerce, DoorBot [I’m not sure this is still the name], and more. The guys at Amazon are constantly thinking of ‘what next’ without limiting the answer to the same industry they were founded. That is true innovation.

Here in Lagos, Nigeria, we have examples of companies who are literally stressing over extra naira and forgetting what brought them to life was the question ‘what next’. This is not a wakeup call or any negative write-up about these incredible organisations, but I wished fewer players were going into the taxi/okada/keke ride hunt! There are already enough hunters, let’s go for a better and different hunt!

It took Microsoft several years and billions of dollars to understand this act of embracing true innovation. I hope companies do more to create more where none existed. We should embrace pure innovations, not entering into a market when others have done the work and you just want to have a share, and you say it’s disruptive. The word ‘disruptive’ has even become jargon in startup dictionary. Every startup uses it – we are disrupting this and building the next big that.

Uber and Airbnb are more examples. While Airbnb has been focused more on creating experiences for the consumer (which is the true reason for founding the company and such transcends industries), Uber has been exerting all energy on ride hailing and movement – taxi, Eats, air transport, etc. Personally, I think Airbnb will be more valuable than Uber in the long term. Nonetheless, I wished both companies are sponsoring autonomous driving in some way. I wish they were invested in incredible establishments like Beyond Meat and all those truly innovative organisations that are pushing the human race forward.

Hopefully, when you become a senior executive at a banking firm, you can lead the bank into investing heavily in solar energy replacing all forms of domestic energy.

I hope you can see the world and how it is with all of its opportunities, not just the space you occupy.

Hegel said "To be independent of public opinion is the first formal condition of achieving anything great or rational." Be independent of what everyone says is the next. Curate your own next thing.

What I’m doing with $100,000 Investment Fund

Does playing FIFA or PES make you a better football player? Maybe not. But, does it make you more knowledgeable about football? Absolutely.

No, I do not have $100,000. I was given by Investopedia. I mean I am playing an investment simulation game on Investopedia. So, this is how I am investing $100,000.

I am not going to give deep details like accurate pricing and precise cash available because I am typing all this off the internet and really in a rush. I have so many blogs I plan to share with you over the next few days.

So, on the first day: May 31, 2019.

I knew I was going to invest in Microsoft, no matter whatever. It’s a great company at the moment. Things are going well on every side. I knew I wouldn’t put my money into Apple or Google. The trade war between US and China will largely affect these two companies than it would Microsoft.

I bought 100 shares of Microsoft. At around 125 dollars or so, that’s some 12,500 dollars. In the short term, I do not see Microsoft going past the 1 trillion dollar mark it reached weeks back. But in the long term, the growth would be continuous.

Then, I looked at Facebook. I saw a market cap of 520 billion dollars. I looked at the growth chart for the past days, weeks, months, and years. I still remember they lost over a hundred billion dollars in a single trading day in 2018. I know Facebook suffers whenever there’s a privacy breach or security threat even if and when it’s not related to the company. They are making some good strides to push forward with Oculus which isn’t news, but I still think 500+ billion dollars for Facebook might be too much in the near short term. So, what did I do?

I shorted Facebook. Haha! I have suffered in this my journey of understanding finance. Shorting Facebook (or any company) implies that I’m making a bet that Facebook shares would still slump and I would make a gain by somehow trading the shares by shorting it.

I shorted 100 shares of Facebook. The price was around 185 dollars, I shorted at 180. And by the close of trading, it was around 179 or thereabout!

This method of investing is wack by all standards. But, I’m just starting!

MSFT and FB in the bag. Who next?

I bought General Electric shares. Around February last year, GE had a market cap of around 300 billion dollars. Now, they are worth less – lower than 100 billion dollars. I do not think they will be worth as much as 300 billion dollars going forward, at least not anytime soon. But, looking at their revenues and other financial statements, as well as knowing that they have listed some companies such as Baker Hughes while GE Healthcare might be going public soon, I knew they are divesting their public holdings. I bought 1,000 shares, I think.

Tesla and Elon Musk are going through some tough moments. Currently worth a little over 30 billion dollars, the value of this company has reduced by around 50 percent because I remember it used to hover around 50-60 billion dollars. They have themselves to blame. Even if the company is sold today at 30 billion dollars, they wouldn’t have enough cash to liquidate shareholders equity. They owe around that mark. I won’t go further about Tesla issues; everything about them is well covered by the media.

I know of the bad financials and reduced demand. But, I am really for Tesla. I am for Musk. I believe the company will earn investors’ trust again. I believe the EV/AV market is still there, perhaps just some consumers getting scared of trade direction between countries. I bought 100 shares as well.

At this point, I was having a little over $70,000 in cash.

Misses

I wanted to buy JCPenney just to have a closer look at the company, but the game wouldn’t allow you buy shares that are not up to one dollar.

Intraday goings-on, Microsoft stock was slightly down. Meaning, my MSFT shares had lower value than I paid for them. But, GE was up, TSLA was up too. FB was trading around the mid to late 170s! I was on a profit of 250+ dollars.

June 1 2019

This was definitely not a trading day. But when I checked my portfolio, I saw MSFT still down. FB down too (meaning I was gaining on FB since I shorted it), TSLA up, and GE up. I was on a gain of 300+ dollars.

I wasn’t gonna rest.

More Trades

I ordered for more stocks which should be completed on Monday, June 3, 2019. What I bought:

I bought Opera Software stocks. I know well (maybe not so well, but a good knowledge) what the company is doing and where they are headed. It is a growth direction. So, I bought some shares.

I bought Baker Hughes too! The company is growing and in my eyes currently underpriced.

And to keep in touch with the Sage of Omaha, I bought Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares; I couldn’t buy the Class A (it’s worth almost 300,000 dollars).

Misses

I couldn’t invest in Zoom Technologies and Beyond Meat because they were newly listed on the stock exchange.

Last Words

I can’t wait for Monday to see how things are playing out. I am still a rookie. And I remain a tech enthusiast. The investments I made clearly show that. I’ll gladly invest in other sectors if I find something worthy and great, but this is where and how I am starting.

A Beautiful YouTube Quote

If you ever follow anybody's advice when it's in contradiction with your own heart, you're giving your LIFE away.

For two of my best university friends

Hint: It's none of the guys in the picture. The two guys know themselves and each other.

Dear Friend,

Do you remember all the fun we had

Remember all the dreams we dreamt

All the fantasies we thought were goals

And the small ideas that never changed the world

Boy,

You told me I was wasting

But methinks not

Now you know I wasn’t wasting

But we were both wasting

Weekly banns, granule foods

Yeah, we’re getting started

Tour places, build platforms

Now it’s dawn, but nothing is done

Hey,

Stupid is what describes you

Maybe more, but that is first

Remember our late nights in 500

Chicken Rep was contact point

Too much talk till 2am

Clueless kids acting sapient

Now we’re squabbling

Like chickens. Cubes!

For two of my best university friends. 

Rise

Be the voice in the noise

Be the one who says it as it is

Don't lick anyone's ass

Be Different

Reflection: 10 Powerful Life Lessons that Can Work for You

Like millions of my age group, I didn’t sleep all night. Like millions of my age group, I wasn't doing anything of specificity. Like millions of my age group, I was just scrolling web pages.

My night wasn't entirely unproductive, though. I had several thoughts in my head. There were new births in form of ideas. More than anything, however, I was somewhere between looking behind and looking ahead. I was on the search discovering new things; having a look at some inspiring profiles.

The result of my thinking in between the lines is what I want to share with you. These are lessons I have learnt. Things I have thought about. They are tips I hope are relevant to your story.

Make Silent Killer Moves

Social media has become the path of least resistance. There are no more secrets or personal information. I usually say “Everyone knows everything about everyone.” Now, this may not be true in its entirety. But, it is a compass to what is contemporarily obtainable.

Let go of the urge to constantly update people about your next moves. Step back from sharing unsolicited life goals. You will do better and go farther when you stop discussing your imminent moves publicly. You should have inner circles, but even they shouldn’t know your baby’s name when she is still a foetus.

Keep Searching

I believe many people like me are on the search. This is an important stage in our lives. We don’t want to waste any more time. Some of us have found what they can devote their lives or years to. Some haven’t. Some will discover themselves early on. Some would later on.

But, discovering oneself isn’t an end. As long as you live, and as long as you hope to remain resourceful and relevant, you will keep on at it. So, irrespective of the level you are, keep digging.

You will be ecstatic when you find gold. That will be a turning point. You will feel great when you find diamond. And that will be another turning point. Although finding gold was a major starting and turning point, diamond will open you up to greater realms. You will keep finding more assets and gaining greater perspectives as you dig deeper.

Follow the Procedure

In primary school, some of my teachers as well as the proprietor counseled my dad that I should write entrance exams a year earlier. This same phenomenon occurred in high school. He was against it. There are fundamental equations and principles I have learnt in that regard. Every end has a process. There are steps to be taken. You don’t want to miss any of these steps.

Be on the Fast Lane

I am not particularly a fan of hasty impulsivity. I am equally against being maniacally procedural. If you don’t take the time to process the true meanings of my words here, you might miss it altogether.

Up above, what I mean is learn what you need to know. Don’t skip the fundamentals. Right here, I mean learn fast. Be the one who learns what they need to know in a snap. Do quickly whatever you deem important.

Slow Down

I think this and the two other points above might seem confusing. This is one of the things I’m totally bad at. I slow down at times, not just enough. I’m usually caught looking ahead. Sometimes, you just have to slow down. See life in a broad perspective. Raise your horizon just a little higher. Appreciate the moment.

I have been doing this since late October. Maybe not entirely slowing down, but driving at a slow pace. Most times, ideas come when you are reflecting and gearing up for the next trip.

Look Within

Many of life’s answers, I have learnt, lie within us. We find answers to most of our challenges when we look within ourselves. You just have to be patient enough.

Remember, you don’t need to have answers to everything. You just have to be ready when the answers surface. This has been true for me several times.

Start Where You are with What You Have

I recently read a piece delivered by a former chairman of Microsoft India. He emphasised what I said earlier, “You don’t need to have answers to everything. You just have to be ready when the answers surface.”

It is imperative to keep investing in yourself. This is because unlike movies and jackpots, life is procedural. People don’t transform in seconds. There is a stage you want to reach, and it would take something. Invest in the process. There is a reason you are where you are. Start right there. Start with the resources in your control.

Ideas are worth 10 a Penny. Don’t Overthink

As a pure thinker myself, I do not like to partner with people who dwell too much on thoughts. As an executor, I equally don’t appreciate crudity. In the end, ideas are just what they are – thoughts. There are billions of them. Also, people who have lots of ideas tend to overthink. I am a victim too. But if your thinking isn’t leading to any substance, spare it! Ideas aren’t important if they are left crude. You have to do more than think, and it’s not overthink.

Then, what is it?

Ideas are Money. Refine them. Work on the Best

Refine them and execute the best. Ideas, in their very best form, can change the world. Every item you use was once an idea. I think that is an evident disclosure. Ideas are potential wealth. They are foetus. Incubate them. Bring them to life.

Everyone is Multi-talented. You Inclusive

I specifically chose this as the last point. Many people in my circle would have heard me say this several times. I believe in the parable of the talents as told by Jesus. I believe everyone is talented. More so, I believe everyone has multiple talents. This implies that there are several things you can do and excel at. They may not be millions, but they are more than one.

If one thing doesn’t work, look around for something else. No one’s destiny is tied to a single thing. If you sit down and write down those things you can do, you will be amazed at the unique talents you possess.

PS: A man’s gift opens door for him – King Solomon

Last Words

I didn’t intend to write this. I didn’t plan to have a ten point listicle. The ideas came and I poured them out. Eventually, the points reached a round figure. I hope you have taken some points away. 

Book Review: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

I do not hope to read Malcolm Gladwell's book anymore. This may be a bad statement to make in public, but I mean it.

Although enlightening, this book was largely boring. The title is so catchy that I kept reading the book because I thought I could still learn some stuff. The chapters are equally eye-fascinating.

This is barely a 300 page book. Gladwell spent about 50 pages talking about Sesame Street -- a kiddies TV show -- that has little to do with his audience.

Since I do not intend to write only the good stuff about books I read, the above is crucial. However, I also love to talk about the good stuff in the books I read.

One of the reasons why I think the book doesn't live up to my expectation is because I saw it as a business book. The book intended to tell why and how some things become sticky or viral and others don't.

In the business realm, this book is mediocre. But for generalists, for the sake of understanding things from many perspectives, Gladwell's research and the manner he documented his findings are top quality.

I think it is similar to The Outliers in many ways. In fact, it is possible for you to think you are still reading the Outliers. This is because the books have some common grounds.

It's been months since I finished the book. I can still remember some things, just not many. Divided into eight chapters (conclusion inclusive), one great lesson I can take from this book is that people are dynamic. We often change our beliefs, and our actions many times do not correlate with our words.

The Tipping Point isn't a book I'll recommend for business folks.

If you are looking for a book that exposes your mind to interesting things around the world, history, life in different parts of the world, how commercial ads form, and a beautiful mind travel, perfect.

Dogma -- The One Thing I hope You Let Go This Year

If there is anything I hate, it is doing what others do, thinking like others, acting like others, being the representation of the norm. Don't get me wrong. Even if I'm in a place where everyone is doing fantastic, I'd still be fantastically different.

Being different is at the core of being human. Many of us just stick to the status quo, leaving behind our uniqueness.

Since the day I saw a Facebook post that said "Even those who don't give in to societal norms, still give in to other norms", my thirst for being undogmatic just became greater. After several months, I've found that post to be true. Humans, no matter how maverick, are susceptible to being dogmatic. I read this extensively in Malcolm Gladwell's book Tipping Point.

People and media form opinions they want you to believe are true and never changing. No doubt, you might believe some; but consult your brains, your instincts! Being dogmatic, I have known, leads to directionless living. You'd think you are progressing, but you are aimlessly drifting.



The best definition I have found for DOGMA so far is culled from Merriam Webster Dictionary: belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted.

There are billions of dogmas in the world today. You know the ones that apply to you. You know the ones your circle of friends have held to their heart. Debunk the myths and live with your own opinion of the universe.

The Universal Dogma

One of the dogmas people around me (and my industry) believe is that tech is the only next thing. Dogmas come in different shapes and sizes. LOL! Even these high grossing, highly intellectual folks still consume irrational opinions.

While I think tech has lots to offer in the subsequent years, we should know that tech has always been the next thing! It will always be. Tech started being the next thing since the days of Standard Oil, General Electric, Ford, Intel, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Uber. It will continue that way.

Innovation, particularly software, will continue to power the world. There is nothing scary about this. This shouldn't make you change career path from something you are passionate about to something you have no talents in.

Now, many want to learn coding which I don't think is entirely bad. In fact, it is a great development. The bad thing would be leaving your area of strength to learn how to code.

I'm seriously betting on finance as a great career path for anyone. It has always been a great path like tech. I could ask you the difference between World Bank and IMF and I'm sure most educated chaps have no clue. Have you sat down for a week watching the stock market? It's just as difficult to comprehend as software engineering. And there's a reason FinTech is now a sector on its own.



How about energy? Energy has continued to be a challenge. The USA emitted more carbon in 2018 than in 2017. 1 billion people still don't have access to electricity. Solar is still not very efficient and cheap.

Streamlined Entrepreneurial Thinking

Lemme tell you of another dogma. These days, everyone says being an entrepreneur is really about finding the solution to a problem. Yes, it is. But no, it's not entirely true. Being a successful entrepreneur or businessperson is about bringing an improvement to human life. It could be a giant leap or a slight increment.

The world didn't need a mobile tablet. Autonomous vehicles do not solve any problem. In fact, many of the innovations that will be coming in subsequent years won't solve any underlying problem. They'll only make the human race extremely modern and digitised.

Think about your present state. Or the world at large. Is there any fundamental problem that needs to be explored? There might be. But now, think about the world again. Are there things that can be improved from zero to one, one to hundred? Lots.

This is the way you should think. Stop searching for problems. Investigate how you can improve human life. Make it happen. And people will say you solved a problem.

I know many will argue this. Just give me a call or schedule a meet-up. I just love thinking different when everyone says or does the same.

Smart Work vs. Hard Work

Smartphones, smart watches, and smart cities have brought with them a new phrase: smart work.

The difference between where you are right now and where you want to be is effort. And effort is work. Whether it’s hard, soft, smart, or unsmart. Just do it!

Leave behind the societal buzzwords (I hope someone really checks what buzzword means). In fact, I could replace dogma with buzzwords or myths. I just think dogma is good enough. We get carried away in the thinking of others. We let the media and people who have never walked in our shoes dictate what we believe as right or wrong.

I feel this is the time you have to be opinionated. Even if it’s just for your own sake, think through. Don’t just sit there, scroll web pages, watch TV, and give in to generic thoughts and opinions.

If only one million people in Nigeria were like this, we wouldn’t be in this mess.

In a Wrap...

The world would be at a great loss if we all exert our focus on software development, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and IoT. We would all lose if we keep thinking the same.

These dogmas are corporate dogmas. There are street dogmas in our communities and institutions. The earlier you unplug yourself, the more directional you drive your thought. And your life!

LIST OF ONLINE BUSINESS IDEAS IN NIGERIA

The internet has made it incredibly easy to start a business – this is also true here in Nigeria. This is a list of online business ideas in Nigeria one can pursue comfortably from the comfort of their homes. All you need is: an internet enabled device, Internet connection, a business idea, and you’re ready to go.

First things first: there are numerous legitimate businesses you can do online which means: to make money, you must serve people; you must be willing to provide solutions to people’s needs. That’s all there is to earn from the internet.

You’ve heard there’s a goldmine to be mined on the web. You may even know friends that have hit it big doing what-you-don’t-know online. And you want to do same; only that, you don’t have an idea where to begin and what to do.

You may be a seasoned internet guru, with several strings of businesses behind you – but you’re on the look out for new business ideas to venture into.

No matter where you’re at, this blog post is for you.

The aim of the article is simple: To curate all legal internet business ideas you can start right here in Nigeria.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Different online business ideas you can start right here in NigeriaReal link to sites you can start earning onlineRequirements to start each business

Please note: This is a very long post, for ease of navigation go through the table of contents and click on any idea that interests you and you’ll be taken directly to that section of the article.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Affiliate Marketing

Blogging

Course and Tutorials

Designs

E-commerce

Freelancing

Marketing

Programming

Services and Consulting

Simple Tasks

Writing

Disclaimer: I have not personally tried out all the ideas here, but you can easily find stories online of people who’re making a decent living with one or several ideas here. This is so before some smart dude start asking me questions.

so here we go:

AFFILIATE MARKETING

This is one of the traditional means of making money online. It involves directing traffic to online stores and earning a commission when someone makes a purchase through your efforts.

Your job will be to promote other people’s products or services – it could be anything, any product, any service. It doesn’t matter the niche. Just be sure, the product/service is what people are searching for online and you’re good.

There are many affiliate programs you can join here in Nigeria and make a decent commission. Popular eCommerce site such as Jumia and Konga offer mouth-watering commissions for every sale you bring in. Other sites include:

Web4africa affiliate program

Wakanow affiliate program

Aside from signing up with individual affiliate programs such as these ones listed above; you could also join affiliate networks. This gives you the added advantage of having an array of products and services to choose from. Some of the popular affiliate networks include:

CJ affiliate networkGrowSumoRakuten affiliateMaxBounty

REQUIREMENTS TO START AFFILIATE MARKETING

Fortunately, the startup cost to affiliate marketing is next to nothing – the only initial cost outlay is your hosting and domain name purchase. After that, it’d be more of perseverance, your time and smart marketing to promote your site.

Domain name purchaseHostingAn Email list building softwareproducts from affiliate programs

BLOGGING

Blogging is perhaps the most popular online business in Nigeria and that’s for good reason – with the Ikeji’s grabbing all the headlines. And here you’re considering doing the same thing.

The truth is, blogging is lucrative – if you can crack the blogging code as these guys did, then the sky is only your starting point.

Blogging is sharing your opinion, thoughts, and knowledge on any topic online. To make money from blogging you can either guest blog – you get paid to write articles for other blogs or monetize your personal blog using these methods.

REQUIREMENTS TO START BLOGGING

Before you start blogging, it’s important to decide which blogging platform to use and also whether you’d be going for a free hosted CMS or self-hosting. Your decision here will affect a number of things like:

How much control you have over your blogging siteThe public perception of your businessSEO and other marketing initiatives

If you choose a free hosted blogging site – all you need do is:  register your account; choose a domain name – bear in mind your domain name is going to have an extra extension.

For instance, you chose domainname as your url, you’re going to get either: www.domainname.blogspot.com or www.domainname.wordpress.com as the case may be; choose a template; and go live.

for self-hosted blogs, you’d need the following to get started:

Register a domain nameBuy a hosting planBuy a WordPress theme or get a free template

DEVELOP ONLINE COURSES AND TUTORIALS

Online courses are an excellent means of monetizing your skills and expertise on the go. Once you’re done with the initial task of creating the courses, you can be rest-assured of ranking in the money with no additional input going forward – except of course, when you need to update the course.

There are several articles online describing the steps to creating a web based course your students will love. Check out this detailed post on smartpassiveincome.com: How to create the perfect Online course

However, here is a summary of what you’d need to get started in creating your course:

REQUIREMENTS FOR CREATING AN ONLINE COURSE IN NIGERIA

First, decide what you would teach.

HOW TO COME UP WITH E-COURSE IDEAS

Audit your skills and expertise: You have a skill. Everyone does. So, take a plain sheet of paper and write out all your skills. What training have you had in the past? What are you passionate about?

List them on the paper. Once you’re done you’d see the opportunities are endless.

A quick tip however, don’t fall into the temptation of discounting any of the ideas. Give each a fair chance.

Research the questions people are asking: Visit forums, stay active, and listen … really listen to what’s been discussed. You will find clues and course ideas to help answer people’s questions. Now, here’s why you should stay active on these forums – they ‘forumers’ would eventually become your students.

Also, use Google suggested queries to fluff out your course ideas. Or use the old dependable method – ask                      your audience what course they would love you to create.

CHOOSE TOOLS TO CREATE YOUR ONLINE COURSE

The next step is deciding the tools to use in creating the course. A quick check online will show there’s a plethora of  both free and premium tools available. This comprehensive resource from elearning platform covers everything you need. Also check out Kathryn Hocking toolkit for creating e-courses here

However, it might get overwhelming sorting through all the tools, so to make it easy on you, here are my favorite tools.

RESOURCES TO CREATE VIDEO COURSES

Jing (free tool)Screen-o-matic (freemium)Camtasia (paid)

RESOURCES TO CREATE PODCAST

Audacity (free)WavePad App (Android)Ardour (free)Podomatic

After creating the course, you have to decide where to host it online. Would you go the self-hosting route or perhaps on revenue sharing platforms?

Bear in mind each of these models have their benefits and demerits.

Self-hosted online courses mean you’re in charge of everything; from purchasing a domain name to host; marketing and every other responsibilities that comes with online businesses. However, the up side is, the revenue are 100 percent coming to you.

If you decide to upload your courses on revenue sharing platforms, keep in mind you’d be sharing a certain percentage of the revenue with the platform. Albeit, you would be relieved of the cost of purchasing hosting and domain name; also the platform is likely to drive traffic to the site, which will rob off on you. However, don’t leave the marketing of your course entirely to them.

REVENUE SHARING PLATFORMS FOR YOUR ONLINE COURSES

UdemyCouseraSkillshareTeachableThinkific

SELLING YOUR DESIGN SKILLS

The demand for skilled designers is at an the all-time high. Businesses, brands, celebrities, and individuals are constantly on the look-out for experienced designers that are able to provide high-quality designs for them.

Design skills do not look to go obsolete anytime soon, in fact, there is a growing market for people with various design skills as mentioned above.

That said, the basic job of a designer is to communicate the ideas of a service provider to its customers or intending customers through graphic illustrations.

REQUIREMENTS TO START EARNING AS A DESIGNER

FIRST, DECIDE WHICH NICHE TO SPECIALIZE IN.

Like in most other business ideas on this list, you need to first decide what niche you have a passion for in design. The key to being a professional in anything is to start by focusing on a particular aspect.

Design, as it is, is a fairly broad field encompassing sub-fields like web design, logo design, UI design, UX design, etc. When you try to learn everything at once, you will end up being a mediocre in all.

So, pick a niche, master it, and then continue to learn.

Once you’re clear on the design path you’d like to go; the next logical steps after choosing a niche, is to check out various online learning platforms that offer that design course.

TOOLS REQUIRED FOR DESIGN JOBS

For virtually all  design jobs, the following tools are essential:

A computer with  design software like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Draw installed. The computer can be a desktop PC or a laptop; it doesn’t matter as far as it is capable of running the required software.

Internet connection: This is important because there are many free online tools that you can employ to learn design skills and how to use design software.

Practice, practice, and more practice: While learning and afterward, you need to put what you have learnt into action by practicing. You can start by trying to design other peoples work, and when you get better you can start designing original stuff. You can also join some online design competitions.

ONLINE PLATFORMS TO GET DESIGN JOBS

When you have learnt and practiced enough you can start applying for online design jobs. The following are some of the freelance websites that you can register with and check for design jobs:

99designsEnvato StudioDribbleBehanceFiverrUpworkElance

Note: Before you start the application process, however, you need to have built a portfolio. This portfolio should comprise some of your best works so as to make you stand out.

E-COMMERCE

Ever fancied buying and selling? Now you can start selling from the comfort of your homn through the internet.

The reality is, starting and running an e-commerce business has never been easier than now. You have the options of either starting the business from scratch or buying an existing e-commerce business.

Before we continue, it wouldn’t hurt to understand what an e-commerce business entails.

An e-comm business at it’s basic level, involves an online store, a payment gateway, and products; think of them, as the same as your favorite neighborhood store – in this case however, they’re online.

Examples of some popular e-commerce companies in Nigeria are Jumia, Konga, Yudala, and Jiji.

REQUIREMENTS FOR STARTING AN E-COMMERCE BUSINESS

To start an e-commerce business from nothing, you need to follow the steps below:

Choose a niche and a brand name: Choosing a niche involves drilling down to a specific market; it also involves selecting the kind of products to carry.

Along with choosing a niche you’d also need to choose a brand name, which might of course, double as your domain name.

Build your online store: The next step is to build the website for your e-commerce business. While you can do this yourself, you can also hire the services of a professional web developer to help you set up a website for the business.

However, if you’re tight on funding for a website, you can start off first, by selling on social media like on Instagram and Facebook.

Upload your products description on the store: Once you’ve setup your e-com site, it’s time to customize and brand it, then, upload the details of the products you are selling. Unlike an offline brick-and-mortar store, you only need to list the products you are selling on your website.

Before uploading the product images to your online store, I assumed, you’ve already sorted out the logistics of products with your suppliers.

Check out 1688, Alibaba, salehoo, etc. they are a handy online list of suppliers you can work with when sourcing your products.

Launch the store: When you are done with the website development and products stocking, the next line of action is to launch the store on the Web. However, before launching, you need to ensure that everything is working correctly and your checklist is complete.

Promote your business: Finally, it’s time to let the world know about your online store. Tell your friends and family about your new business; run Facebook and adword ads to drive traffic to your store; and constantly post and engage with your followers on social media.

FREELANCING

A freelancer is anyone that offers a service to a customer without any long-term contractual agreements. Freelancing covers a whole lot of services with many websites recording huge membership of freelancers and millions of freelancing jobs available on a daily basis.

As mentioned above, there are various types of services under freelancing such as graphics design, virtual assistant jobs, writing (more details later), animation, and so on.

You can venture into freelancing as a means of passive income while keeping your regular job or you can take freelancing as a full-time job.

REQUIREMENTS FOR FREELANCING

To be a freelancer, the first thing you need is to have a skill. When you possess a skill and know how to communicate with customers – customer relations skill – you are on your way to start making money with it online. Your skill(s) will determine the niche you will go into.

A PC with Internet connection. As with other business ideas on this list, you need an Internet-connected computer for freelancing. This is because you need to register with a freelancing website as well as communicate with your clients through the Internet.

Register with a freelance website. As someone new to freelancing, your best bet is to sign up with one or more of the numerous freelance websites to be able to get freelancing jobs.

Some of the popular freelance websites include:

fiverr.comskillshive.comfreelancer.comupwork.compeopleperhour.com

Start bidding for jobs. When you have successfully registered with a freelance website, you need to start looking for jobs relevant to your skillset.

Before you start bidding for jobs, you need to have built up a portfolio of what you have done; this is to show your prospective clients that you are suitable for the job(s).

MARKETING

Marketing in this context refers to Internet marketing or Digital marketing. As an Internet marketer, your job is basically to help promote a business  by creating and implementing online marketing strategies.

Examples of online marketing strategies include email marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).

REQUIREMENTS FOR STARTING ONLINE MARKETING

While an Internet marketing business is not so difficult to start, you will need to have the following:

A good knowledge of marketing and online marketing strategies. First, you are a marketer, so it is important that you know the basics of marketing and to have the relevant marketing skills. Skills such as communication and copy writing are essential for any online marketer.

A personal or business website that shows your experience and skill in Internet marketing. The essence of a website is to first show your clients that you are serious about your work as well as to provide your clients a medium of reaching to your.

Knowledge about your target client(s). Having a good understanding about what your prospective clients want is a very important requirement if you are to succeed as a digital marketer.

Depending on your region, you may need a license.

PROGRAMMING

No doubt, programmers are one of the highest paid people in the world today. Almost every modern business today needs the services of a programmer. Joining this bandwagon will not only make you relevant today, but also in the foreseeable future.

A passion for learning is important as well as a love for technology if you are ever going to become a programmer. This is because while you can take courses and bootcamps for programmers, you will have to learn most things by yourself.

That being said, let’s get to know the required steps to take in order to become a programmer.

HOW TO START A CAREER IN PROGRAMMING

First, you need to decide on what you want to solve with programming. There are different categories of programmers today: web programmers, game programmers, app developers, etc. Choosing what solution you want to provide with programming is the first step in the journey.

Choose an appropriate programming language. Every programming language has its advantages and downsides. Understanding what you want to solve will help you to choose the appropriate language.

Start learning the basics of the chosen language. Like human languages, you need to understand the basics of a programming language before you can be able to start using it.

Thus, after selecting a suitable programming language, you need to start learning the language. You can sign up for an online coding course to learn the basics of programming or download programming books from the Internet.

Put what you’ve learnt into practice. Most programmers will agree that the best way to learn programming is by practicing. Learning all about a programming language without practicing will not make you a programmer because you can easily forget what you have learned.

SERVICES AND CONSULTING

Online consulting basically involves offering expert advice on any particular subject. A consultant is someone that has authoritative knowledge on a particular subject.

Like freelancing, the market for online consulting is also growing at a fast pace, this makes it a viable option for people who want to take a share of the Internet revenue cake.

Online consultants are needed in virtually all fields including auditing, accounting, communications, editing, and so on. This is because businesses want to make profit and they need good advice on how to go about it.

However, online consulting is not like any other business on this list as it involves putting in a lot of time and effort. This is also because of the fast-changing world that we live in; knowledge keeps increasing and many discoveries are being made on a daily basis that makes what you know a few months ago almost irrelevant today.

HOW TO BECOME AN ONLINE CONSULTANT

Define your goals: Like most other businesses, you need to be specific on what you want from being an online consultant. This means that you need to choose a particular part of online consulting and focus on.

Get the required skills: When you have defined your goals as an online consultant, the next step is to acquire the necessary skills. You will need to start small here and not want to learn everything at once.

When you have finished learning a particular skill you can then move on to learn another, and on and on like that. As an online consultant, you may also need to acquire certifications to show that you are serious about your business.

Build a name for yourself: You can make a name for yourself as an online consultant by networking with other consultants. When you network with other professionals in your field, your reputation will also improve, even before you get your first clients. Don’t forget that, networking is also a great way of landing prospective clients.

Get a business website: Since you are an online consultant, there is a need for an online presence of your business. While you may start with social media platforms like LinkedIn, you will definitely need to own a website for your business.

Start pitching prospective clients: After all is set, you need to start reaching out to prospective customers that require your services. Consultants are needed in virtually all fields as have been stated;

FREELANCE WRITING

Freelance writing is easily one of the popular ways of making money online, especially for native English speakers (don’t give up if you’re not one).

Writing encompasses a whole lot of fields; therefore, you need to decide on a niche (specific field) to start with if you want to succeed as a freelance writer. Examples of niches include health, technology, self help, agriculture, and so on.

WHAT YOU NEED TO START WRITING ONLINE FOR MONEY

To start making money online through writing, you need to have access to a minimum of the following:

A good understanding of a language (usually English). While there may be writing jobs for non-English speakers, the vast majority of online writing jobs are for native speakers. Understanding the basics of a language is the first step to being able to craft grammatically correct articles.

A PC with Internet connection. This is a no-brainer as you will need a device to write the articles and connection to the Internet to make research and connect with your clients.

Electricity: THIS REQUIREMENT EXTENDS TO ALL THE OTHERS ON THIS LIST.

Yes, we all know how erratic the power supply can be in Nigeria. But that shouldn’t be an excuse if you want to make it online. You will need to invest in a  generating set or a power bank so as to have a steady power supply.

A means to receive payment. Yes! You will need a means to receive  payments after you’ve completed your jobs. There are various options available for Nigerians, albeit limited, and depending on the freelance platform. While PayPal is not still available to Nigerians for withdrawal; you can try other payment methods such as Payoneer that is open to Nigerians.

When you have gotten access to the above-mentioned requirements, you need to continue with the following.

Create samples of your work: To be able to get writing jobs, you may need to have samples of your work ready to show your credibility. You can do this by creating guest posts on websites related to your niche(s) or by creating a blog and posting there.

You c an also leverage social media publishing like posting on Facebook, LinkedIn Pulse, Instagram posts and posting on other platforms like Medium, Steemit, etc. to showcase your ability.

Soft skills: By soft skills I mean the ability to effectively interact with other people. The truth is, you need to able able to effectively handle interactions with both your customers and editors.

Hence, developing excellent inter-personal communications skill is essential to the success of your freelaning business.

SIMPLE TASKS

To wrap up the list, we are going to briefly consider some simple online tasks you can do right here in Nigeria.

It’s worth noting that, these tasks vary – they range from taking quick online surveys to testing apps or websites, commenting on websites, or liking a Facebook page.

You can get simple tasks on the following websites

OnespaceAmazon mTurkMicroworkersClickworkerFigure EightInbox DollarsClixsenseSwagbucks

These sites and other similar sites reward users in various ways including gift cards, coupons, and cash. For those that pay through cash, you will need to have a PayPal account.

…WRAPPING UP

This guide is a list of online business ideas you can start in Nigeria, with little to no capital outlay, it is however,in no way exhaustive, as there are still numerous online businesses one can start in Nigeria not listed here.

Having said that, I would like you to share any business you know or do online that’s not listed here so I an include them in the subsequent updates.

So, if you ever desired to make a living legitimately online as a Nigerian, then,  the businesses listed above are your best bet.