Nigeria - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Difference Makers Centre (DMC) is an educational technology startup that provides youths from low-income and marginalized communities access to quality highly-sought vocational skills training and provide them with job placement after the training.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

In Nigeria today, there is high youth unemployment and poverty. In fact, more than 60% of the population of the country are in multi-dimensional poverty due to economic instability and rising inflation in the price of food products. There is also limited access to quality vocational education for low-income communities. There is also a growing demand for vocational skilled workers. So, we want to create a webapp solution for Difference Makers Centre (DMC) DMC is a tech-enabled platform for seamless skills training and job placement through training the participants through comprehensive, cohort-based highly sought vocational skills programs. The participants would then be onboarded to a job marketplace so they can sell their services after the training. Before we were targeting tech talent and training them but we realise there is higher demand for vocational skills as the market size for the Nigeria gig economy is worth $28 billion as at 2021 according to Nigeria freelance master.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

In Nigeria today, there is high youth unemployment and poverty. In fact, more than 60% of the population of the country are in multi-dimensional poverty due to economic instability and rising inflation in the price of food products. There is also limited access to quality vocational education for low-income communities. There is also a growing demand for vocational skilled workers. So, we created a solution called Difference Makers Centre (DMC) to solve these problems. DMC is a tech-enabled platform for seamless skills training and job placement through training the participants through comprehensive, cohort-based highly sought vocational skills programs. The participants would then be onboarded to a job marketplace so they can sell their services after the training. Our unique selling point is that we are niche-based (we focus on only vocational skills), our trainings are tutor-led, we have a Job marketplace and community for sharing opinions and accessing networking opportunities.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

Our solution intends to amplify the work of thriving youth businesses in marginalised communities. Our solution empowers unemployed youths in low-income communities with sustainable income. Our solution would also enable industries and large corporations in low-income communities access qualified talent. Our solution aims to help optimise the resources of companies for corporate social responsibility (especially if the CSR is focused on youth development) as our solution would have real-time data analysis tool which would help those companies better report their annual impacts. Our solution would help youths to better present their vocational skills in a manner that it can scale. Our solution would non-profit organisations the stress attached to researching a community for NEEDs assessment because we have a ready audience. Our solution would be a testament that local businesses can scale globally.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

We are targeting > Unemployed youths in low-income and marginalised communities > Companies whose CSR initiatives focusing on youth development. > Companies in need of skilled workers in low-income communities. > Non-profit organisations whose target audience are youths and initiatives focuses on youth development.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2021-03-04

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

2

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

2

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Blessing Isaac Affiong is an entry-level data analyst. She currently works with resagratia as an intern. I have known her for close for over 10 years as we grew up in the same community. She joined me on one career development program I did at Agidingbi Junior Grammar School in 2019 for the students (https://www.instagram.com/p/BtwcAGfF1Mo/?igsh=MWUxZWp0eHl0NGRpMg==). Blessing is a graduate of Marine Biology from University of Lagos. Ayomide Adekola is an experienced project manager with over 4 years of managing online and on-site educational events that has reached over 3,000 young people across 20 tertiary institutions and secondary schools in Nigeria. She is skilled in project management, M&E, data analysis, time management, leadership, budgeting, strategy development and effective communication. She currently works with Lagos Business School as the Programs Manager for the Business Innovation Accelerator. She is a graduate of Computer Science from Obafemi Awolowo University.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

https://www.instagram.com/difference_makers_centre

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

c) Industry (equipment, commercial, logistical and professional services, transport)

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

Nil

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

Nil

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

Nil

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

Nil

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

Nil

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

Nil

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

Nil

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

We empower unemployed youths in low-income communities with highly-sought vocational skills so they can be self-reliant and create wealth. Our platform also enables them to get part-time jobs in their communities. This is critical to helping them overcome financial hardship and eventually create wealth.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

Nil

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

Nil

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

Nil

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

Nil

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

Nil

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

Nil

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

Nil

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

Nil

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

Nil

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

2

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

6

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

4

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

6

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

6

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

6

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

6

05.08 Justification

Vocational skills training in Nigeria are mostly offline and there are often no support post-training. So, we are unique because the alumnus of our training would be monitored after the training, they can also sell their services in our marketplace, engage our support staffs and access a community where they can connect and collaborate. We are also going a step further to help non-profit and corporate organisations get real-time data for their reports. We have a standby team to help manage the CSR initiatives of corporations (provided it is focused on youth development/empowerment).

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

GEBEYA - focused on training tech talent, talent pay for services, talent marketplace is present and not a community-based platform for networking. ALX - focused on training tech talent, talent don't pay for services, no talent marketplace and not a community-based platform for networking., TECH4DEV - focused on overall talent development, corporate or talent pay for services, no talent marketplace and not a community-based platform for networking. DMC - focused on vocational skills, corporate pay for training talent, talent marketplace is present and presence of a very supportive community-based platform for networking.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

We plan to organise a Women4Tech (W4T) initiative where female youths and young married women can learn no-code tech skills for free on our platform because we realise from research that half the women in low-income communities are the breadwinner of their family. We also realise the spending patterns of married women in low-income communities tilt more to their families than the men whose income are first reduced at bars and restaurants before getting home. The W4T is aimed at bridging the digital and technology knowledge divide between men and women as well as ensuring equitable access to opportunities.