SV – Links and SV – NED in collaboration with the Nigerian Embassy in Washington D.C. are going to be hosting the 1st week-long immersion program in Silicon Valley with Nigerian executives.
Who is SV-NED Inc? Silicon Valley - Nigerian Economic Development Inc., is a small startup that facilitates the creation of business opportunities designed for Silicon Valley technology companies in an effort to tap Nigeria’s tremendous international commerce potential. SV-NED Inc. is committed to creating a sustainable economic growth plan that would take Nigeria from a developing country to an emerging market. Their programs are designed to reduce dependency on oil explorations while increasing profitability in the technology sector. One benefit from this new connection for Nigeria is the prospects of employing recent college graduates in industries appertaining to their degree. This initiative was developed by Chief Temitope Ajayi a.k.a. Mama Diaspora, a US-based Nigerian business consultant who is an accountant by training, a social entrepreneur, and an ardent community activist.
SV-NED Inc.’s vision for Nigeria ahead is to improve Nigeria’s credibility within the foreign investment global market. The Silicon Valley business hubs will serve as a catalyst to encourage the sharing of intellectual properties while gaining a secure foothold in Nigeria’s untapped technology market. The overall objectives are to improve direct capital outputs. This should spur job creation that will benefit millions of Nigerian youths looking to put their newly acquired education to use, consequently enabling a new generation to compete in today’s competitive international job markets.
For example, SV-NED Inc.’s initiatives will encourage recent college graduates with engineering or IT degrees to join the technology market with the added potential of job placements through U.S. or other foreign technology manufacturing plants, data centers, and technical support call centers. Silicon Valley and Nigeria stand to both capitalize on this deal, with a focus on improving Nigeria’s catastrophically high unemployment rate, which is approaching 15%.
Nigeria is a country with a population size of approximately 170 million people. SV-NED sees this as a can’t miss opportunity to expand its technology infrastructure, considering that Nigeria is Facebook (FB), Google (GOOG), and Twitter’s (TWTR) largest market on the African continent. Nigeria seeks to mimic countries like China, pioneering similar technology firms providing services like Alibaba (BABA) to compete head on with industry giants like Amazon (AMZN), or even Baidu (BIDU) that competes with Google . Another example of China’s competitive spirit would be Weibo (WB), which has all but taken over the social media platform from Twitter and Facebook in its homeland. Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website akin to a hybrid of sites including Facebook and Twitter, is now one of the most popular sites in China, in use by well over 30% of Internet users.
If Nigeria, can immerse themselves into the Silicon Valley culture, they stand to gain ideas on how to expand on their intellectual properties, while investing in small incubators hubs that are hosting software developers and small tech startup companies from all over the world. Through these activities, Nigeria can create wealth and employ more recent graduates in the field of engineering to support homegrown ideas that will ultimately take millions out of poverty.
Recently, SV-Links and SV-NED created a partnership to bring top Nigerian executives to participate in an Immersion Program on the 24th – 30th of September 2017. The participants will be exposed to different activities including visits to local start-ups as well as global organizations such as Hewlett Packard (HP), attending lectures by entrepreneurs and investors such as Sand Hill Angels, and overall exposure to the Valley’s environment.This would give these Nigerian executives the opportunity to rebuild Nigeria’s credibility with foreign partners on the Silicon Valley soil.
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The purpose of the program is to expose more traditional industry thinking executives to the innovative and disruptive world of the Valley. This immersion program would create a stronger presence for Nigerian engineers and innovators within Silicon Valley. Current executives and investors must find common ground on how both sides can capitalize. We want to promote and influence activities such as Nigerian investment in local startups in the Valley, bring in the movers and shakers from both countries to exchange ideas, and usher in a new area of financial partnerships between both nations.
SV-NED is grateful for the indispensable support of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington D.C., especially the Head of the Economic Section – Mr. Adebayo Idowu – for his selfless effort, which contributed in to the success of the program.
Dr. Ola Hassan, a Board Member of SV-NED Inc, who was one of the pioneers of Silicon Valley and founder of Ola’s Coffee said – “This will be a great eye opener and open doors for the Nigerian Young Entrepreneurs in Information Technology, Agriculture and Banking.”
Otunba Ayo Oduntan, Chairman Contraco Nigeria Ltd and Board Member of SV-NED Inc., – “Nigeria is ready to conquer the world in I.T, Banking and Agriculture”
SV-NED Inc. (Proud members of Silicon Valley Organization, Chambers of Commerce ) is very excited to host the first group coming from Nigeria, and see how this program will impact and improve credible business relationship between these two great nations.
“ It is our first group from Nigeria, and it will certainly not be our last.” - SV-NED Inc. Board Members.
Learn more about SV-NED Inc. visit their website: www.SVNED.com