For me I will rather advice that we do not expect too much
from the Nigerian Tech industry as regards high salary pay for now. The
truth is, we dont really have a visible technology city or tech start-up
community that can boast of a viable market or sustainable paronage
yet. If we are expecting to see Tech companies pay high salaries in the
range of 500k or above, we need to give Nigeria some time and also shift
our attention away from the error of “Comparing thriving Innovative
Businesses to Innovative Technology Startups”.
I get flipbirds in my tummy each time we keep mentioning Konga,
Jumia, iROKO etc. as tech faces or innovation here in Nigeria. With due
respect to these companies and those who run them, I will say they are
just mere businesses that have been smart enough to adopt the use of
viable technologies to get anything on their platforms tranformed from
the inside to the outside. Tech innovators bring in noble and
never-seen-before inventions and the solution offered is as unique as the innovative features it boasts of. For a country like Nigeria with a very low literate
population level when compared with the likes of UK, US, Europe etc, we still have a lot
to do in createing a global tech dynamo city. We should start from formulating policies that will allow an enabling environment for Rapid Mass Education and Tech Entrepreneurs to grow.
When these two are in place like Bankole rightly said in his response on this issue, the market can
then pay for the innovative products and services churned out by viable
start ups who bring decent and needed solutions to the market. PEOPLE
drive innovation which later creates the market cash and not the other
way round. When Mark invented Facebook, he started with a viable
environment and an educated community of young minds. But before he knew
it, the enabling environment propelled Facebook to greater hieghts in
less than 4 years! A similar pathway to’what I call ‘‘Powerful
Popularity’’ that took the likes of IBM and General Electric over 20
years to attain.
In my opinion, what I think we need now is first- a Solid Groud-Up
campaign or advocacy for a Massive Education Programmes for all
Nigerians of all ages and Africa as a whole. Two we need to start
mounting pressure on our Political leaders and administartors, Senators,
Ministers and Representatives. They must begin to formulate relevant
laws and policies that will unbundle and refresh our collective
creativity, freeing the Nigerian Tech scene from every inanity of the
status quo and propelling us towards the tresholds of the originality of
our noble courses.
This is TechCabal’s radar platform, we can start from here. We are
growing in this community and more visionaries will join us soon. If you
can lias with one or two radar members in your senatorial district,
book an appointment to see the honorable senators, representatives,
commissioners etc. in your district. In our meeting, make a case for
this two areas and follow up. I tell you this, these guys now know the
power of the younger people and the spirit of resilence that we have
when it comes to changing the status quo, they will push your
postulations as their top priorities. If we agree to this… before
2018, we will have the topmost 5, most powerful global tech-preneurs
visit Nigeria as angel investors eagerly looking to take stakes in your
start up. Just watch…