Setting up a Succesful business in Nigeria

http://africajumpstart.com/2014/04/04/african-entrepreneur-insights-nigeria-the-steps-i-took-to-start-a-solar-power-business/#comment-55 Our story on how we got started is posted on the Africa Jump Start. Follow the link to read the story. F I HOME BLOG FEATURED COUNTRIES EVENTS MEMBERSHIP ABOUT SHOP African Entrepreneur Insights - Nigeria: The Steps I Took to Start A Solar Power Business   Home   / Identify Opportunities   / African Entrepreneur Insights – Nigeria: The Steps I Took to Start A Solar Power Business Previous post April 4, 2014 1  Comment Identify Opportunities This is a guest post by  Christopher J. Onwuasoanya , founder and President of  Atlantic Waste and Power System . In his article Christopher, who resides in the USA, describes the early steps and challenges he faced setting up a new business in Nigeria. He also describes the big opportunities in the power sector in Nigeria, a...

How does this Solar thing Work? This has been a recurring question that I get each time I talk about our Solar Power Solutions. I will attempt to answer it again. No Changes In How You Use Electricity Solar electricity works exactly the same as the electricity you buy from the utility company. You turn on lights, plug in lamps and power appliances the same way you do right now. In fact, if you didn’t see solar modules on the roof, you’d never notice any difference—except a lower electric bill. While the science of converting sunshine into electricity is complex, the idea is pretty simple. Solar electricity is generated by a group of solar modules called an array that’s installed on your roof or in your yard. When sunlight falls on the solar modules, a DC electrical current is created instantly. The DC electricity is fed into an inverter that changes it to standard AC electricity – the same kind your home already uses. No need to change your home wiring. Solar Power Is Highl...

Unfortunately this behavior is spreading to the USA as well. Those that have done very well for themselves feel that they deserve their good fortune and those at the lower end of the scale deserve their misfortune. We are in the boat together. It is a collective effort by all.

A few weeks ago I read that Nigeria had more than 60 million generators. Considering that the average Nigerian experiences less that 3 hours of electricity, you can begin to imagine the noise. I was in Lagos in September and October and I can tell you that it took me over 3 days to sleep through the night. The noise was over whelming. I am sure you can begin to imagine the pollution from these noise makers. At night the smells from the improperly tuned engines assaults the eyes and the nose. You begin to understand the reason people have perpetual colds. The cost in fuel and repairs are never considered by the average Nigerian. What he looks at is his upfront cost. For N35000 they can purchase a generator. What nobody tells them is that those cheap generators are deadly for laptops, TV and sensitive electronic devices. The power supply for my laptop caught fire while using one of these cheap generators. The other one destroyed my fathers phones and would not charge my Kindle. How ...

Nine in the morning, the children are there and no sign of adults. No teachers, no custodian, no principal nobody. The young children swept the compound and waited around for the teacher who got there after 930. Can you imagine this happening any where else. In a school with so many buildings, where are the other teachers? An unknown adult on school grounds and no other adult to challenge him or monitor his movement. The adult was with us. Can you imagine this anywhere else in the world?

The shame called Murtala Muhammed International Airport November 13, 2013  by Japheth Omojuwa    Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos How much does a country need to keep its busiest international airport from running like an oven? The Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos has to be the hottest airport in the world. It is easily the hottest I have travelled through and I have been through quite a lot of airports. Even the Nairobi airport in Kenya that was engulfed by fire is not as hot as the MMIA. You should not even get started with comparing it with the airport in Cape Town or Johannesburg, South Africa. Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport, Accra may be small but it does not meet you with the repulsiveness the MMIA greets you with. Even the Eyadema airport in Togo has a better atmosphere. The Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar, Senegal trumps ours by light years. This is speaking of African countries. We dare no...

One week ago today I got a Skype message from my friend Lulufa Vongtau, asking that we pray for his son, his son had broken both arms in a freak accident. The young man had fallen down 10 or 18 floors and had been trapped for over 36 hours before he was rescued by the NY City Fire Department. They had to break walls to remove him from where he had spend 36 hours. My wife and I had arrived at the hospital a few hours after he had been rescued. He looked worse that he actually was. Lots of missing skin on his toes and his chin, a broken arm, abrasions on his face.  On Thursday 5 days after he was admitted they discharged him. His grand mother in Nigeria said that they should check him back in.  That he was released so soon after such a traumatic event is miracle.  That he survived the fall is a miracle.  That he survived 36 hours before getting medical attention is a major miracle. The media have been dying to get the story. They have called the mother non...