On Friday 22 April, 2016, several brilliant Nigerian minds and alumni of the University of Bradford gathered at the Jade Palace, Adeola Odeku, Victoria Island, Lagos for the inaugural Lagos Alumni Association Annual Lecture Event which turned out to be an evening of fun, friendly re-unions, networking and laughter.
The President of the Alumni Association, Henry Ikem Obih, MBA 1993, in his opening speech, which was delivered by the Vice-President, Sola Olubadejo, MBA 2009, expressed how for 50 years the University of Bradford’s School of Management, has drawn young men and women from all over the world including Nigeria and has sent forth alumni who carry the School of Management’s dynamic and entrepreneurial spirit with them as they pursue their lives and careers in a range of fields all over the world.
This year, the theme centred on ‘Entrepreneurship’ and in attendance were two wonderful speakers who delivered excellent lectures on the topic especially as it revolved around doing business in Nigeria. The first speaker, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, CEO POISE Graduate Finishing School and also a proud alumna of the School of Management, presented a paper on “Impression Management and Networking” while the keynote speech was delivered by Mrs. Ndidi Nwuneli MFR.
Mrs. Ndidi, one of the biggest social impact accelerators in Nigeria, founder of LEAP Africa, Ndu Ike Akunuba (NIA), co-founder of AACE Food Processing & Distribution Ltd. (AACE Foods), and one of the directors of Sahel Capital & Advisory Partners, an advisory and private equity firm in Nigeria, which focuses on the agribusiness and manufacturing sectors delivered her paper on “Consume Local – How to tap in as an Entrepreneur”.
Mrs. Ndidi brought to the fore her passion for the Agriculture sector in Nigeria and shared the immense opportunities available to would be participators in agribusiness. Mrs. Ndidi also shared her experience with AACE Foods and the challenges the company had to overcome while executing their business strategies.
Nigeria remains a viable source for many raw materials to the international market and our exports will boom if entrepreneurs focused on the agriculture business in Nigeria.
Both presentations were brilliant and impactful. In attendance were a number of alumni of the University of Bradford, and School of Management, who represented across the board professionals from various industries including Oil and Gas, Telecoms, Legal, and Banking. The University of Bradford School of Management has a history of producing many Nigerian entrepreneurs, professionals who have and still are contributing immensely to the Nigerian economy and society at large.
It is intended that the Lecture and networking event will be hosted yearly with the aim of exploring and making available resources that can help Bradford alumni whether old or new to develop and contribute to the community and the University of Bradford. Also to provide an unequalled opportunity to network, see old friends, meet new ones, learn about recent advances of Bradford alumni, and participate in discussions about some of the most important issues facing our Nation.
Author: Adedunmade Onibokun, Esq., University of Bradford School of Management, LLM 2014
About the University of Bradford Lagos Alumni Association
Membership of the Lagos Alumni Association is open to all graduates of the University of Bradford who have attended any full-time, part-time or executive programmes in the UK or any Bradford campuses based overseas. The Association aims to build a reputation for intellectual thought-provoking leadership and for providing networking opportunities and fellowship for its members.
You can reach out to the Executive Committee which comprises of graduates Henry Obih, MBA 1993 (President); Sola Olubadejo MBA 2009 (Vice President); Eunice Oki, MSc HRM 2009 (Secretary); Ladi Ogunjimi, MSc FAM 2009 (Treasurer); and Olusegun Ajala, MSc M&M 2009 (Social Coordinator).
The Executive Committee would be pleased to hear from you and can be contacted by email at somalumni_ng@outlook.com
Leave a Reply