Innovate for Africa — A beautiful Learning Experience
I used to think innovation is all about the solution, now I know that it is less about the solution and more about the problem and the people involved. What changed? My four weeks encounter with Novustack, an organization set to build innovation ecosystems across Africa by supporting aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to power development in Africa, was exhilarating and educative.
As a frontend developer looking to advance his career in software development, I decided to join Novustack’s IFA (Innovate For Africa) cohort 3 and participate in their Innovate Readiness Training (IRT) program as a Product Management fellow.
Innovate for Africa is a platform with a mission to create the next generation of innovators to strengthen the overall innovation ecosystem in Nigeria. It consists of a team of experienced educators, entrepreneurs, and consultants passionate about building powerful learning experiences and preparing students to make a difference in their communities. Our facilitators were a team of individuals with such diversity from Harvard school of education and Sloan school of management.
Novustack’s fundamental principles are Innovation, Collaboration, Grit, Growth Mindset, grit, Inclusivity & Diversity. The IRT allows me to embody all of these ideals by simulating a fast-paced startup setting. The 4 weeks rigorous learning experience, which preceed the 11 months of continuous self-learning and professional development exposed me to a lot regarding entrepreneurship, design thinking, personal branding, strategic analysis and product management.
Design Thinking
The design thinking method was used in an intense two-week hackathon to produce a hands-on learning experience. Design thinking is an iterative process that provides a solution-based and customer-centric approach to solving problems. My team and I identified a problem involving a large percentage of remote workers in Nigeria with regard to finding convenient and affordable workspace with necessary provisions such as uninterrupted power supply and good internet connection. To help solve this problem, we used the design thinking process. To read extensively about our efforts and the solution we provided, click here.
Strategic Analysis
The process of researching an organization and its working environment in order to develop a plan is referred to as strategic analysis.
I was able to conduct extensive research and strategically apply decision-making tools such as SMART, SWOT and STEEPLE analysis.
Smart (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound)
SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)
STEEPLE (Social, Technological, Economic, Political, Legal, and Environmental factors)
Hard Skills Lab
As part of the effort to expose the fellow to industry-like experience, we were divided intpo teams and each team was task with working with a startup on a consultancy prokject. My team worked with Abetec Business Solutions, Kenya. While working on this project, I was able to use my technical and non-technical skills, while honing my product management skills.
Abetec is a social business hub where entrepreneurs, thinkers, techies, and creators collaborate to learn, create and build social conscious innovative enterprises with the aim of creating decent employment for African youths as a means to eradicating extreme poverty and promoting inclusive, sustainable communities. The company is looking to migrate their in-person training programs online, therefore they require a full-fledged online learning management system.
We were able to deliver on this project by collaborating and pooling our skillsets together. At the end of the day, the deliverables which includes a UI design of the proposed web application, user roadmap for the product, product requirement document, and a powerpoint presentation was presented to the client’s representative who was very pleased with our hard work. Check out our UI design here.
Guest Speakers
We had incredible sessions with guest speakers where we got to hear them talk about their life experiences, from hardships to accomplishments and everything in between. Being exposed to such information and experiences from diverse fields was extremely enlightening.
Some key takeaways from these sessions are;
Before considering a career change, keep the following in mind:
· You must be focused and motivated, be devoted to what you want to achieve, and be willing to put in the necessary effort.
· Prepare yourself for personal development.
· A career is a lot of hard work.
· Prepare to make a road map.
· Find accessible resources for the job and be dedicated to it.
· Careers should not be devoid of passion.
· More passion leads to increased motivation.
· Find out what you’re strong at and what your weaknesses are.
· Figure out what you want to do with your life.
-When you want to move to the next level the first thing that shifts is your mind)
- Opposition shouldn’t keep you from moving forward but should cause you to expand and learn.
Reflections and Insights
The one-month fellowship really impacted me positively, other than learning to be a better developer and a product manager, I learnt to be a better innovator and I now know what I must do to convert my ideas into a startup that will help make Nigeria a better place to be.
At the end of the fellowship, I was recognized for my punctuality and 100% attendance record. Thank you Team Novustack for all that you did.
