World Courant
A rustic brimming with youthful vitality and entrepreneurship, Nigeria has monumental potential to turn out to be a worldwide hub for innovation and problem-solving. Khalil Halilu, a seasoned know-how entrepreneur, acknowledges this potential and is set to ignite a spark of innovation and problem-solving among the many Nigerian youth.
Khalil is aware of the ability of know-how all too properly. Rising up in Kaduna, Khalil gained first-hand expertise of producing, advertising and distribution to fulfill native demand by his household’s manufacturing firm. In 2017, he based and have become CEO of ShapShap, a technology-based supply platform that revolutionized last-mile logistics in Nigeria. He was appointed Government Vice President/CEO of the Nationwide Science and Technical Infrastructure Company (NASENI).
Halilu’s imaginative and prescient for Nigeria is daring. He plans to unleash the potential of the youth and ladies as innovators and downside solvers. His experiences have allowed him to determine unmet wants and gaps from the patron perspective. With a eager understanding of the distinctive wants and aspirations of Nigeria’s younger technology, Halilu envisions a future the place they aren’t solely shoppers of know-how, but in addition lively individuals in its creation and software.
On this interview, Khalil Halilu shares his insights on how fostering an innovation and problem-solving mindset amongst Nigeria’s youth can remodel the nation into a worldwide hub for innovation. Khalil additionally shares why that is essential to driving sustainable progress and improvement for the nation.
Ventures Africa (VA): What fueled your motivation to develop revolutionary options particularly tailor-made to the challenges dealing with the African continent?
Khalil Halilu (KH): I believe Africa faces many challenges that require an unconventional strategy. There’s a massive hole between the issues and the options. You’ll be able to’t simply use the standard strategies. I see know-how as a software to bridge this hole sooner and extra successfully.
Earlier than beginning Shap Shap, I had lived in different components of the world the place I skilled how straightforward and handy it’s to ship there. Once I received house, I found that it wasn’t the identical, although most of our corporations are small and medium-sized enterprises that depend on logistics to outlive. Regardless of excessive demand, the sector may be very powerful and stuffed with inefficiencies. I imagine know-how might help bridge this hole. That was the motivation for me to begin this enterprise.
VA: Congratulations in your appointment as CEO of Naseni. How has your expertise within the non-public sector formed your imaginative and prescient for the company?
KH: We regularly hear folks within the non-public sector complain that authorities just isn’t doing sufficient to handle the problems that have an effect on them. The president challenged us to affix the federal government and see for ourselves what it is like. It is not as dangerous as we expect.
Everywhere in the world you see folks making an attempt to carry a non-public sector mentality to authorities. We need to promote larger collaboration between the non-public and public sectors and leverage the sources and alternatives accessible on either side. Having sat on the opposite aspect of the desk, I higher perceive among the wants and challenges dealing with the non-public sector. They require the federal government to advertise cooperation and be sure that their enterprise is finished at their comfort. So I’ll do my greatest to not disappoint my former non-public sector colleagues. And keep away from repeating the identical errors we used to complain about. I need to be a constructive change agent within the system.
VA – Would you say this was a major hole lacking from the Nigerian know-how ecosystem?
KH– There was a divide between the non-public and public sectors, however I believe that has modified. It’s clear that each events want one another and there are numerous examples of profitable collaborations in varied areas. Now it’s clear that we want one another, and that could be a welcome improvement. It was that everybody felt like they might do all of it on their very own. I believe there may be readability now and we’ve to work collectively. Take into consideration a spot like NASENI: although it’s a authorities group, it’s designed to operate considerably like a non-public group. We have now a bit of flexibility. I am making an attempt to see how we are able to benefit from that to do one thing that permits us to play in opposition to the nation as an entire.
VA – Are you able to elaborate on the precise wants of the Nigerian shopper market and why home-initiated and home-sustained innovation is important?
KH – Nigerian shoppers are all the time in search of worth. They need to get extra out of what they’ve and luxuriate in what they like extra. That is the place innovation is available in. We begin to suppose: how can we provide extra with much less? Or how can we give extra of what they already take pleasure in? It is that easy. Nigerian shoppers should not sleeping. They do not cover their emotions. They categorical their opinions and expectations, each to the federal government and to the non-public sector. However I do not see it as a nasty factor. It retains everybody on their toes. I’ve seen some nations the place folks do not agree with the established order, however as a substitute of talking out about it, they only settle for it and take care of it.
VA– What are the primary challenges you will have encountered since taking in your position? Are there any particular challenges you will have recognized when working within the non-public sector that you simply want to prioritize?
KH – I would not name it a giant problem. It is a bit of problem. And it means making an attempt to vary our mindset. I attempt to encourage extra cooperation and partnership with different establishments or events to attain our objectives. I come from the non-public sector, so I’ve a special strategy than the standard authorities strategy. These sorts of issues clearly take a while. It takes some effort and time to promote a brand new imaginative and prescient.
I am extra of a constructive particular person than a apprehensive particular person. If there’s a downside, I’ll see how we are able to remedy it. I am unable to deal with the truth that it is an issue. I attempt to deal with discovering the answer round it. The everyday entrepreneur will let you know that each downside is a chance. So I am not too apprehensive in regards to the state of affairs. I imagine that Nigeria will overcome its challenges and prosper.
VA: Mind drain is an ongoing downside within the Nigerian know-how sector. How would you strategy attracting, retaining and selling prime expertise?
KH: Properly, you are proper. There may be the issue of mind drain. However in my view, the know-how world is flat. What do I imply by flat? Once I labored within the non-public sector, lots of the folks I labored with weren’t bodily in the identical location as me. I additionally labored with folks from different nations and areas. So in a method I used to be additionally contributing to the mind drain from different locations.
I believe a very powerful factor for me is to do one thing world-class that may appeal to the proper of expertise. I do know mind drain is an issue, particularly for bodily employees. However for our sector, which largely operates just about, I do not suppose that is a lot of an issue.
VA: How will you make sure that everybody in Nigeria, together with folks in rural areas, participates and advantages from the brand new know-how?
KH: One in all my objectives is to advertise extra openness, non-public sector pondering and cooperation with different events. However a very powerful factor for me is know-how switch. We have now developed a framework for this. We take a look at it to see the way it works. Whether it is profitable, we are going to scale it up. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, however somewhat undertake and adapt the perfect practices from different nations, particularly in Africa, and make them work for us. We need to speed up our improvement and save time and sources.
One other factor we’re doing is an entire HR overhaul. We’d like the perfect crew to attain our imaginative and prescient, and we worth our staff. We’re reviewing our HR processes and insurance policies and need to enhance our effectivity and effectiveness. We have now simply accomplished our rebranding. We have now a brand new hashtag known as New Nase. So we’re engaged on an entire overhaul, with higher employment situations, higher processes and constructing a greater group.
One of many initiatives we need to launch is a tech hub the place folks can join with AI and different revolutionary instruments. We additionally need to arrange a mini campus the place younger folks can study and develop their concepts. Having an thought is one factor, however bringing it to market and making it profitable is one other. That’s the reason it’s obligatory to supply younger folks a platform and community to make their concepts turn out to be actuality. It could contain constructing a community of workshops, conferences, mentorship and funding alternatives to assist them obtain their objectives. We hope to begin from our headquarters after which develop to different areas. That is our method of claiming to folks: in case you have an thought, come and allow us to assist you to work with consultants to refine it and take full benefit of it.
VA: Talking of rebranding, in a latest interview you expressed frustration with the infinite cycle of analysis and prototyping that always results in promising options gathering mud on the cabinets. Are you able to clarify this concern and your imaginative and prescient to maneuver past infinite cycles of prototyping?
KH – Earlier than approaching board, I used to be concerned in quite a few analysis initiatives. Nevertheless, I seen that the majority profitable analysis initiatives right here should not exploited or commercialized. What I attempt to do in a different way is that if one thing works, we must always commercialize it, as a result of a part of our accountability is that we get to commercialize our analysis. So I need to emphasize that. In spite of everything, the essence of doing analysis lies in its potential to profoundly affect the financial system. So why would we analysis one thing good or construct a prototype after which go away it on the shelf? I am very all in favour of the way in which we commercialize the issues we’ve. Expertise is the path to our dreamland. We have now so many issues, as I stated earlier than. I imagine that know-how is the entry level to improvement. It is one thing you possibly can’t eliminate.
Khalil Halilu is seeking to instill a problem-solving mentality amongst Nigerians.
Africa Area Information ,Subsequent Massive Factor in Public Knowledg
