Recently in Abuja, UBA hosted businesses from different parts of Africa to showcase the giant stride small and medium scale businesses are making. And Tfhost was part of the exhibition to further add itself to the growing community of SMEs that are breaking new business grounds in Africa, BINTA SHAMA writes.
When the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) brought together African entrepreneurs from 54 countries in the continent, it presented them the opportunity to network among themselves and also engage with policy makers and representatives from the private and development sector.
Beyond the Forum however, there was the U A Marketplace that afforded hundreds of SMEs to display their unique products.
As the rate of businesses conducted on the internet continues to rise, so also, companies that engaged in web-based services are growing. With business conducted on the internet estimated to hit $80 billion by 2020.
Many web-based companies are positioning themselves to get their own fair share of the pie.
Part of the growing army of SMEs that were part of the exhibition wasTfhost is a division Trefoil Networks LTD. The company provides hosting and web related services ranging from hosting, domain names registration, SSL certificate and lots more. It’s leading domain name registrar and hosting company in accredited Registrar for .NG domains. And recently the company was recognized by NiRA as the best hosting company in the country.
Providing local content
The Advisor Tfhost Mr. Rotimi Onifade say the company is working to carve a niche for itself in the sector through the provision of local content in the services it provides to it’s client base. With over 15 years of operational experience covering satellite, wireless, fibre, internet service, web, multimedia and network service and solution for individual, institutions, organizationa, government, and domestic users across the country, it also covers West and Central Africa with various services including Tfnet, Tfmediacast, OurTv, TFhost, and Tes respectively.
According to Mr. Onifade, with it shared hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated hosting base in the Federal Capital, it “hosted locally which is one of the edges we have over every other hosting company in Nigeria.”
He further said, “you rarely find a hosting company that hosts their own hosting data in Nigeria.
“Hosting a website in Nigeria is a big task and a challenge in the sense that we work with constant electricity and internet. The reason we resolved to do this is because we want websites to deliver and be responsive to Nigerians like where one is using a Nigeria internet telecommunication like MTN, spectranet, etc. your websites can deliver to you speedily unlike those who host outside the country, their files travels globally before it can be delivered to their website and all this is where printing stop. Nigerian businesses will need to take over the online business because online communities grow by-the-minute, which we as a nation will need to take advantage of these opportunities to expand which will add to our branding,” he added.
“We have been recognised because of the accolade we got in the industry. For instance, we got the best hosting company in 2018 and in 2019 got it back-to-back which very limited companies can enjoy these privileges. Patronage has been excellently good and we have been on a free promo where all you need is a free domain and the rest is history,” Onifade said.
Turning Africa’s fortune through entrepreneurship
Speaking at the TEF Forum, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo charged young Africans to strive to turn around the continent’s fortune through entrepreneurship development.
The theme of the 2019 Forum: ‘Empowering African Entrepreneurs’ was considered taking into account the urgent need for the continent youths to conquer their economic and environmental challenges through startups entrepreneurship capitals.
While lauding TEF and the United Bank for Africa (UBA) for assisting Africans, he said that, “the TEF, arguably the largest gathering of entrepreneurs, policymakers, and business leaders across the continent has over the years, empowered thousands of African entrepreneurs who receive annually $5,000 non-refundable seed capital through its $100 million Entrepreneurship Programme.”
Osinbajo urged the continents leaders to urgent create opportunities for young entrepreneurs so that they can as private sector, continued to enhance the transformation of power that modern technology has provided.
He said, “Multitudes of young Africans who have refused to wallow in self-pity and frustration have realized that conquering of the challenges of the environments is the milestone to outstanding success.
“Although, our continent has continued to be defined by the unsavory and an unwholesome story which do not often accurately represent the realities of life and opportunities abound.
“We should be mindful of the fact that the challenge to create an enabling environment for all of these young entrepreneurs to thrive rest on our shoulders as leaders,” Osinbajo added.
The Vice President went on to describe the present generation of African youths as the “Smartest that has ever lived”
A ‘rising continent’
For his part, African Development Bank (AfDB) Presient, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said, “Africa cannot keep postponing her liabilities into the future, saying the continent “has risen”.
“About 12 to 13 million people enter the market every year and cannot find jobs. Worst still, by 2050, Africa will have about 800 young people and a billion people by 2060.
“In view of this, I think it’s time for African leaders to create youth entrepreneurship and investment banks for African youths so that we can begin to change from youth empowerment to youth investment,” he stated.
Private sector as economic driver
Earlier, the founder TEF, Mr Tony Elumelu said that the private sector holds the key to unlocking Africa’s economic potential.
He therefore tasked young Africans, saying that the stage is set for them to take.
The Head, Retail Banking UBA Mr. Jude Anele described entrepreneur as one who starts a business and takes it into the commercial market with the mindset to create a market. He added that, “the major key problem they have is to access capital or finance. For me, if you commence in creating a business then you will succeed in accessing funds to start off.
“An entrepreneur must be innovative because putting a good technology and access to infrastructure challenges are in disguise opportunities for them.”
He disclosed, “we have the women foundation scheme online, 25% below the market scale. We create space for where entrepreneurs can work to have an enabling environment to access the market.
“UBA is seen as an African bank, the entrepreneur finance scheme is across the whole branches in Africa. Adding, he said,
entrepreneurship is about business and creative work where investors will seek one out. For instance, TEF is offering grants to entrepreneurs while UBA grants on the loan side.
The scheme concentrates on young entrepreneurs in the area of ICT, Creative industry, fashion, etc. giving a 10 year loan at just 5%.”
While on the other hand, the CEO wakanow Mr. Obinna Okezie encouraged entrepreneurs by sharing his early years of struggles and challenges to achieve the heights he has to this present day.
“Creating solutions is as important as making money because as a former staff working with UBA, I took the advantage of the loops in the economy to start, in order to be able to create jobs and expand the business across the shores of Nigeria.”
Okezie charged entrepreneur to be truthful to the reality of situation around them and to also be persistent.
Presidents: Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Macky Sall of Senegal, Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC, Uganda vice president, Dr. Ruhakano Ruganda and Group Managing Director of the United Bank for Africa, Kennedy Uzoka, were also present.
In attendance were the governors of Kwara, Ekiti, Kebbi and Niger states.
