9mobile Reaffirms Support for Youths, Advocates More Tech Adoption

Emma Okonji

9mobile has restated its support for youths entrepreneurship and innovation, urging Nigerian youths to take advantage of the opportunities that technology offers to optimise their businesses and professional endeavors.

The telecom company stated this during a recent virtual session, titled “Driving Youth Innovation in Business through Technology”, organised by 9mobile to mark this year’s International Youth Day.

The session which was facilitated on Instagramlive by popular business coach, Tricia Olufemi-Olumide (Tricia Biz) and social entrepreneur, Olusola Amusan,attracted several young participants who joined in to learn more on how they can leverage technology and innovation to drive business efficiency.

Defining innovation, Tricia Biz noted that innovation doesn’t necessarily mean inventing something new or that has never been done before, but simply about improvement. “It is improving your current business to achieve your goals and objectives, grow your income, reach more people and impact more people,” she said.

While speaking further on business model and process innovation, Tricia encouraged businesses to consider and explore the subscription-based marketmodel which has tripled in recent times. “There is no better way to grow your business than to take advantage of the subscription market to get your product on repeat order. The subscription market has grown tremendously especially with Covid 19. Just finding an innovative way to make your existing customers to become paying subscribers can make that difference in your numbers,” she further said.

Amusan noted that with digitalisation and globalisation, “the economic impact of technology and innovation is compelling and huge for the youths and entrepreneurs”.

According to him, “As a business owner you must constantly familiarize yourself with emerging technologies to stay relevant with time. In addition, you must then educate your team to achieve better workplace collaboration.”

Speaking on the purpose of the session, the Executive Director, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, Mr. Abdulrahman Ado, noted that the discussions tied into the global theme for this year’s International Youth Day celebration: ‘Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health’, which highlights the very strategic and important roles youths play in the general context of the global economy for growth and sustainability.

“There is a remarkable increase in the number of young entrepreneurs springing up on a daily basis in the business space, this for us is a welcome development and must be encouraged with all the necessary infrastructure needed technologically speaking. Youths must therefore not hesitate to embrace innovative technology for their respective businesses to succeed,” Ado said.

The international youth day is celebrated annually on 12th August to highlight youth-impacting issues to the international community and to celebrate the potential of young people as active partners in the global society.