Finance, the KEY component to starting a business?

In Robert Kiyosaki's words: "There are three components to starting a business. One is the right plan; two is the right team and three is the money. Rarely do these three components come together when starting a business. It's the dusty of an entrepreneur to grab one piece and start the business, the remaining two pieces will be found along the way. Finding the two components may take a year or more than 10 years; the point is start with what you have"

While some might argue that Robert is right, I wonder if his ideas are practicable and attainable, particularly in an ambiance such as ours. In this our "obodo naija"can you actually start a business with just a good plan and without money? Or can you start with a good plan, the right team but without the necessary start-up funds?

Agribusiness and the Youth

Currently, Nigeria is taking giant strides towards encouraging youths in participating in agribusiness ventures. Statistics show that the average age of the Nigerian farmer is 55 years and if nothing is done to force this down, when this phase of farmers pass, there would be no new generation of farmers hence a possible major food crisis.

Recently, The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in collaboration with the Zamfara state government trained 7,000 graduates in developing skills in agribusiness. Another key programme is the Youth Employment in Agriculture and Rural Development which was launched by the erstwhile Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and now African Development Bank President; Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina. Adesina stated that the programme would develop 18,500 university graduates who will be formed into young agribusiness entrepreneurs called nagropreneurs. In his words, ‘’…they will develop business along the various agriculture value chains from the farms, storage, processing, value addition, financial services and logistics. Together with the recently launched presidential school initiative, we will connect the young school children in agriculture to the nagropreneurs and they will become the new millionaires and billionaires of Nigeria’’.

Introducing CPAF15

One of those rare opportunities not to be missed takes place in Bridgetown, Barbados next month. Some 250 leaders, decision makers and agrifood actors will be gathering for the Caribbean-Pacific Agri-Food Forum. A key event for both regions, the forum will hold from November 2nd to the 6th. It will be a week laced with several key activities devoted to exploring how an agribusiness approach can drive rural development in the Caribbean and Pacific small island states.

Let's Talk Agro!

Hi guys, there is this forum coming up and I figured it will be a great opportunity to relay information on pertinent issues relating to agribusiness. In the coming weeks, I will be uploading posts on topics relating to agribusiness, agri-tourism, value-chains, youth entrepreneurship amongst several others as they relate to the forum. Oh yeah, the program? Caribbean and Pacific Agri-Food Forum 2015 (CPAF15).

Handy business apps every entrepreneur should know about

As a business owner, you are likely inundated with a huge number of daily tasks that threaten to overwhelm you and cause you to lose sight of any kind of work-life balance. While this is something that will likely always be a struggle, it’s important to remember that there are tools out there that will help you get more done in less time—not to mention save your sanity!

 

Apps are handy tools that entrepreneurs can rely on to run their businesses and manage their lives. However, with thousands and thousands of options on the market these days, it can be tough knowing which ones really will make a positive difference to your day, and which ones will just end up wasting your time.