Ajulo: Harnessing Youths’ Technological Skills for Innovation
Nelson Ajulo is the Chief Executive Officer of Zarttech, a social-driven software and technology consultancy company fostering uniform and strategic relationships between Africa and the world. He explained to Funmi Ogundare, in this interview, why his organisation is passionate about empowering the youths in the tech industry and how its academy arm has been able to harness their skills to lead innovations in the face of improvement in technology
Thedecision to compete, innovate and change the global landscape for good is a no-brainer for Zarttech, a social-driven software and technology consultancy company fostering uniform and strategic relationships across multiple continents such as America, Europe, South and North America. The organisation’s academy, Zarttalent, aims to provoke technological innovation among talented youths and challenge them to compete globally.
The Chief Executive Officer of Zarttech, Nelson Ajulo, recalled that one of the things the organisation set out to do when it commenced operations four years ago was to connect Nigeria and African talents with global work opportunities and increase the efficiency of the industrial economy in Nigeria.
He stated that if the youths are well positioned and equipped with skills such as software development, cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence, etc., that meet the needs of the global economy, they can easily tap into opportunities.
“That is what we will be working towards, especially because the youths are much more inclined towards technologies, so we can easily teach anyone that has analytical skills, software development, cybersecurity, data Analytics, etc. Through this, they can become senior developers and engineers, and those who have the skills can also easily tap into global or international opportunities as well,” he said.
With 60 per cent of the almost 200 million Nigerians over 25 years old, the CEO noted that human capital is a significant part of the economy that will position the country for the future.
“Nigeria has a population of 200 million, and an average Nigerian is entrepreneurial and can grow a huge organisation if the infrastructure and financial support is there. Unfortunately, we don’t have the ease of doing business and infrastructure that will help an entrepreneurial mindset,” Ajulo stated. “However, with Zarttech, our vision is to accommodate these great minds, Nigerians and Africans with great expertise, to come together to build and showcase innovation and possibilities to the rest of the world in a different way.”
He added, “It is no better time than now, particularly in the face of artificial intelligence and technology. It is not rocket science. We have a huge amount of youths and individuals that can compete, innovate and change the whole global landscape for good.”
Ajulo said quite a number of youths had been empowered and are now working with global companies through Zarttech Academy, adding that the empowered group also train the next generation in Nigeria.
He said, “That is where we have Zartech Academy, which is our foundation where we train young Nigerians in tech knowledge based on the skills that are vital and needed in the international marketplace and much more.”
He expressed concern that some of the courses taught in Nigerian universities no longer align with the global economy, saying that since there has been a shift from analogue to digital, youths should begin to look at skills that will increase expectations and make them globally competitive.
“Your education has to be vital to economic operations. If you could go to a university and learn a skill that the economy does not need to operate, that means that skill is useless,” Ajulo noted. “What we see in Nigeria are skills that are no longer vital to the global economy. Your recognised skills have to align with the international marketplace that will actually increase expectations and you become competitive.”
Ajulo explained that this “is what we also try to showcase in the academy that if we train people within a period of four of five months, and they become employable after one year of investment of their time, they are able to earn something much more than somebody who has gone to the university and invest four years of their life and have to work for six, eight or 10 years for a salary.”
He stated that the academy also dedicates a 30 per cent allocation to women, which includes a free scholarship for them, adding that they are encouraged more to participate in the technology skill programme aimed at bridging the gender gap and boosting the economy.
Ajulo stressed the need for tech companies to include women in their leadership positions, noting that such a move is economically necessary because, often, they are more productive than their male counterparts.
“It will be a shame if organisations are not increasing female leadership. Definitely, they will miss out on inclusion because they will not be able to perform as much especially with the new generation now,” Ajulo explained. “They are becoming more aware of this kind of situation, and they want to patronise companies that are much more inclusive. More than ever before, it is an economic necessity for companies to become inclusive.”
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