Lessons from Design of Nations: From Faded Detroit to Ebullient Silicon Valley

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September 29, 2019

Henry Ford began producing Model T in Detroit around 1908. In the 1960s, Detroit rose to the mountaintop and became one of the most important tech-cities in America, as entrepreneurs moved there, to pursue a future of starting a car company. The number of car startups in Detroit exceeded 100! And the future looked unbounded.

Then, OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) which began life in Baghdad (Iraq), in Sept 1960, started to work! OPEC’s work was to get members to control crude oil production in order to get more money per barrel in the international market.

OPEC contributed to the destruction of Detroit because prices of fuel went up even when Detroit car makers like Ford, GM and Chrysler were not paying deep attention to Japanese car makers who produced fuel-efficient vehicles. The American car makers have always liked their big cars, typically agents of fuel guzzling!

The Japanese introduced a huge shift, and made cars that used less fuel per mile driven, and consumers moved: expectation demand worked. Just like that, Detroit began a sustained decline as the big 3 car companies lost market shares with layoffs, and plant closings everywhere. Detroit has not recovered – in short, Detroit city went through bankruptcy, and the car makers were bailed out by the U.S. to ensure their continued existence.

Simply, Detroit was innovation. But Detroit declined. The modern American Detroit today is Silicon Valley. This is Google’s 21st birthday. Google’s impact cannot be overstated in our world; it has totally redesigned and transformed how we find and consume information. With Google, Facebook, Apple, Intel and amalgam of other companies, America has renewed even as Detroit faded.

With Uber and Lyft, adding a new layer on Detroit, U.S. will get a part of the game in most parts of the world, irrespective of the brand of cars people use. So, in Lagos or Nairobi, even if you are using Toyota for Uber, America will get a part of that revenue. Simply, creative destruction can come but nations with inherent internal capabilities will always emerge stronger.

Creative destruction can be described as the dismantling of long-standing practices in order to make way for innovation. Creative destruction was first coined by Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter in 1942. Schumpeter describes creative destruction as innovations in the manufacturing process that increase productivity, but the term has been adopted for use in many other contexts.

The Lesson for Nigeria

In this video, I have shared what needs to happen for us to have that internal capacities to renew. Yes, as the Kano groundnut pyramid was declining, Nigeria could have made Eket a powerful city for energy technologies. As the palm oil declined in Owerri along with cocoa in Ife, Kainji dam could have been boosted to power the next industries in Nigeria. We must be prepared for shifts and re-alignment as a nation, across all the geopolitical zones. All the young people are going to Silicon Valley, not Detroit, and America continues to thrive. Nigeria needs to see itself as one nation in order to have a big picture perspective on how to manage creative destruction as it happens.

Rise Networks Unveils AI Ideathon

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Nnamdi Odumody

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September 29, 2019

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According to McKinsey, Artificial Intelligence will redesign the operating systems of various industries. It would make many sectors to become intelligent, fueled by data. The transformative effects will be felt in agriculture, education, energy, logistics and manufacturing, and in the process will contribute $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030.

Rise Networks, Nigeria’s premier AI powered learning, research and work readiness centre, that created ISE, the first career coach job Bot in West Africa, has launched a National Artificial Intelligence Ideathon for game changing ideas which will fix frictions in education, agriculture, healthcare and financial inclusion.

This AI Ideathon is open to data scientists, students, academicians, working professionals, developers and other enthusiasts across Nigeria who will develop innovative solutions that will solve various paralysis in the country and encourage industry focused research and development that will birth AI innovations to transform various sectors.

Winners will get an opportunity to present their AI applications to public sector decision makers, C-Suite players, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists who will help them execute and scale their solutions.

They will also be rewarded with modern work tools such as a 2018 13 inch Apple Macbook Pro+ $1000, a 13.5 inch Microsoft Surface Book 2, a 13 inch 2018 Apple Macbook Air along with the publication of their ideas in The Rise Labs National AI Innovation ebook, mentorship by AI thought leaders in Nigeria and around the globe, national public recognition and opportunity to network and fundraise at Workplan’s‘’Africa’s Action Plan on Education and the Future of Work for the Youth’’ on November 23rd 2019. Besides, they will get a free 3-6 months workspace, incubation and technical support at Rise Labs.

Entry submissions began on August 19th 2019 and will end on September 30th 2019. Participants must be 18 years and above while minor must have the consent of their parents or guardians.

Nigeria needs AI powered ideas to solve some of her challenges in security, education, healthcare, agriculture, logistics and transportation, retail, manufacturing, oil and gas, justice delivery to transition to an intelligent economy.

Studying The Endangered Discipline of Communication in Nigeria and The Ways Out

By

Rasheed Adebiyi

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September 28, 2019

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As a teacher who specializes in teaching media and communication studies, I have realized that the discipline is very competitive. The competition manifests in the number of graduates produced in the monotechnics, polytechnics and universities offering this course. Graduates who offered the course also get competition from graduates of other disciplines who are keenly interested and bountifully talented as broadcasters, writers and content provision generally. It is a talent driven discipline. People who are ordinarily gifted with the skills of presentation and writing would want to have a stake in the media and communication industry.

The power of learning from the internet is equally an issue. Young people now warehouse skills using YouTube and other websites offering free courses in the discipline. More so, some of the components of media and communication studies are highly sought after by the industry. When all these factors are put together, there is a high tendency to declare the media and communication studies a threatened species among other disciplines. High competition from the massive number of students offering the courses as well as external threat from those outside who are either talented or who employed self development to warehouse some of the skills that make one a complete mass communicator are pointers to the danger awaiting mass communication graduates beyond the four walls of the school.

The situation is made graver with tertiary institutions that fail to equip their students with the necessary skills. Most often, this is caused by the huge of number of students admitted. And largely by a lack of resources. Over populated classrooms make real and impactful training practically difficult. Studios that are supposed to be equipped and which should serve as a laboratory for the students to experiment their skills and discover themselves are most often and sadly under lock and key. Internship or what is particularly referred to as media attachment is not supervised by the departments. This makes students lose interest in ensuring that they get the necessary link up with the industry.

In the face of these issues with the pedagogy of communication and media studies, what could be the way forward for those who are currently on training for mass communication or media studies? As a teacher of mass communication, I have some pieces of advice for those in training and the graduates already in the labour market.

One, as students in communication or media studies, you have to ensure you get skilled up whether your department makes it a compulsory part of the curriculum or not. This means you have to take the path of self development. Fortunately, the internet is a big classroom. You can choose to learn whatever skills ranging from photography, editing or presentation skills. If you do not do so, those outside of the discipline are willing to go deeper and will give you a run for your money.

Two, practice is the next thing to embrace. After acquisition of skills in your area of choice, what you need to do create a space for yourself is to ensure you practise the skills you have learnt. You can create a blog and write for yourself. You can as well write for other platforms online. If you want to specialize in presentation, you can attach yourself to a local television or radio station by offering to give your service for free. The pay you get is the opportunity to create a portfolio for yourself and develop your work experience. Whether you create a platform for yourself to write for blogs or create your own blog or Youtube Channel, you get to stand out from competition.

Three, create a social media account to prepare for the world of work. Professional social media sites such as LinkedIn give you the platform to showcase yourself and market your skills. They also provide you the link to follow your choice media companies you want to work for. A display of your past works or writings can land you a job. They are also reference points for your employers to understand you have the required skill sets to function within their companies. This equally stands you out of the game.

As commonplace as these ideas may sound, they are important tips that students and graduates of communication or media studies and its variants in Nigeria need to uptake. I have noticed that there is a lack of the understanding of both the intensity of the competition from within and outside of the discipline as well as the required insight to prepare for the future. The earlier this is learnt, the better for the concerned segment of the Nigerian graduates.

The Andela Experiment

By

Ndubuisi Ekekwe

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September 28, 2019

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This is thought-provoking: the construct in Nigeria has been consistent – universities should educate, prepare and unleash to the economy competent graduates. But Andela has shown that doing just that ALONE is not enough. Yes, you can have all competent graduates (by global standards) but if there is no opportunity, they will not flourish. That explains why in a world where software developers are scarce, a company in Nigeria is firing hundreds! Simply, there needs to be opportunities before the agents of productivity can work! This Olumide Durotoluwa’s observation deserves deeper thoughts form policymakers!

One of the arguments against the Nigerian education sector, is that they do not churn out the right talent. While this is very correct, but here, we see an educational firm, with a global market, producing the right talent, yet limited by the diminishing returns of marginal productivity. For a quick reminder, the law of diminishing marginal returns, states that when an advantage is gained in a factor of production, the marginal productivity will typically diminish, as production increases. On a macro level, this implies that, even if the Nigeria education system, churns out the right talents, without creating an economic opportunity for them, we will continue to experience the same problem.

Obviously, Nigeria has crossed the productivity threshold a long time ago, where an increase in labour force, can no longer bring the desired increase in economic productivity. When productivity fails to grow significantly, it confines potential gains in wages, corporate profits and living standards. The resulting effects are underemployment, talent exodus, increase in the cost of education, etc.

Except the government, corporate organization, create an eco-structure, which can continue to absorb the increasing number of graduates, while at the same time, funding education, it will be difficult to make giant economic strides.

I must confess that his observation is deep.Have 20 Andelas in Nigeria but without opportunities, the brilliant geeks will stall, and possibly leave the nation. Simply, there is a limit a nation can get to without a strategic plan that harmonizes all elements at the same time. We cannot waltz into prosperity as a nation – broad strategic plan is imperative.

You may think it is graduating brilliant graduates only to be thrown off that you have them, and will not know what to do with them. This is a huge (unexpected) discovery that Andela has provided for the nation. Let me call it the Andela Experiment: the availability of extremely brilliant and competent graduates without opportunities will not advance Nigeria, other factors are critical and required to make use of the graduates, and ensure they are not jobless!

The Andela Experiment needs more examination because it has shown that even the universities ALONE cannot save Nigeria, at least in the short-run.

The Andela Evolution – Fires 420 Engineers

Consequences of Blame Game

By

Ozioma Okey-Kalu

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September 28, 2019

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It’s easier to blame others for our mistakes. Largely, we find it a lot easier to explain what happened when we want to point accusing fingers at someone else than it would have been if we were to point those fingers at ourselves.

In Nigeria, we blame the government for everything. If we lose our job, it’s the government’s fault. If our car breaks down in the middle, it is the government. If we spend our salary within a week, it is still the government’s fault. We are always the innocent victims.

This is the same way we blame our neighbours, spouses, parents, teachers, associates and so on for our mistakes and failures. We even blame others for our ill health and low income. If we don’t see who to blame, we turn it over to inanimate things or supernatural forces and powers. That’s where we have gotten to.

A lot of people may not really know why they easily engage in the blame game. If you, like most of us, do it, I’ll suggest that you go through the list below to see if you can identify with any of the reasons given.

Reasons People Blame Others

To Protect their Ego: A lot of people blame others because they want to maintain their self-worth. They don’t want to face the embarrassment that comes from owning up to their mistake. So the only way to escape the shame is by telling people that it wasn’t their fault.
To Destroy the Reputation of Another Person: This usually comes from hate or unhealthy competition. In this case, the person that is pointing this finger may be saying the truth, but the intention isn’t to correct, but to destroy.
To Control Others: Sometimes, blame game is used as a form of blackmail. The person blamed may be made to feel bad and responsible for the blamer’s predicament. In return, he may decide to give him (the blamer) what he asks for.
To Hide Incompetence: You remember this saying about bad workman quarrelling his tools? Well, that bad workman was actually blaming his tools for the bad work he did. So, most times, people blame others because they don’t want their incompetency to be discovered.
To Avoid Punishment: Most mistakes and failures comes with punishments, such as replacement of what is spoilt, demotion, loss of incentives, dismissal and so on. In order to avoid such punishments, people tend to push over the blame to someone or something else.
To Justify Mistakes or Failures: A good example of this is when a student blames his teachers for his failure in exam. You may hear something like, “I didn’t pass because our teachers don’t teach us well.”

In as much as other people may contribute to our mistakes and failures, we don’t have to dwell on that as a reason for failing. Any time you have this compulsion to blame someone else for your condition, remember the following as the consequences of blaming game.

Loss of Reputation and Respect: You know the funny thing about blaming people, the person blamed and some other people will know the game you are playing. And when you play the game with someone else, it will be common knowledge that you don’t accept responsibility for your mistakes and failures. It will then be only a matter of time before someone tells you that to your face.
Loss of Relationships: Anyway, I know I won’t want to relate with someone who will blame me or someone else for his mistakes. No one who is wrongly blamed is happy. He will also make sure that he stayed away from the person that caused him pain. If this person happens to be someone who will help you in the future, believe me when I say that you have just lost a good one.
Lack of Improvement and Growth: We learn from mistakes. If we willingly take blame for mistakes, we will truly seek out ways not to make them again. But when we blame others for that mistake, we won’t look for how to improve. Even if we want to improve, we will be uncomfortable asking people for help because they will wonder why we want to learn what we already know.

Way Out

We have seen the consequences of blaming others. We have seen that involving in such a game doesn’t pay in the long run; in fact it is self-damaging. So, we need to find out ways to stop playing this game. Below are some suggestions:

Remember that mistake is the fastest way to learn. There is no need to be ashamed of making one. Besides, everybody makes mistakes and fails at one point or another of their lives.
Don’t be afraid to apologize for your mistakes if need be. It may seem difficult but it has its advantages.
Focus more on yourself and concentrate on things that will help you to grow. Don’t let the growth and progress of someone else get to you so that jealousy doesn’t take the best of you.
Silence: Sometimes you just need to be silent so as not to get involved in the blame game. You may have to let it go before pointing that accusing finger.

Remember, even if someone directly or indirectly caused your mistakes or failures, you played a role by allowing it. So, don’t play the blame game, it doesn’t pay.