The Entrepreneurial elite of Nigeria has come together under the umbrella of the Ausso Leadership Academy (ALA) to support the ecosystems with personalized mentorship to maximize jobs created by entrepreneurs to ensure shared prosperity. This has been an inspired by the unprecedented success in entrepreneurship at Silicon Valley, which has been underpinned by a strong mentorship culture.
ALA aims to Impact at least 200 Entrepreneurs each year in cohorts of 40 per Masterclass, with the first Masterclass coming on stream as early as April and for which registration has commenced. It is expected that the entrepreneurs will achieve double-digit growth in their Revenue a year after impact and would have imbibed a code of Governance and a culture of Succession and Legacy.
Unveiling the biggest entrepreneurial advantage for ur business:
The Ausso Leadership Academy (#ALA) aims to structure & standardize entrepreneurial methodology in our context & democratize Entrepreneurship such that differentiation is driven by intuition, acumen, & luck.#Thread pic.twitter.com/jBEXpBn0fN— austin okere (@austin_okere) January 29, 2018
According to the promoter of ALA, Austin Okere, “One of the cardinal principles of the Ausso Leadership Academy is to instill the mentality of building a Solid Structure for the business with more emphasis on Institutionalization than the concept of an All-Knowing Strongman; an erroneous concept which has led to the demise of many enterprises after the departure of the founder.”
Austin Okere was also the founder of CWG Plc (NSE: CWG), the largest security in the ICT Sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Austin has subsequently honed his craft in Entrepreneurship Executive Education, becoming an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Columbia Business School, New York and being appointed into the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network (GBSN) in Washington DC.
On what inspired him to set up the Academy, Austin explained: “Being a serial entrepreneur, it was intuitive for me to conceive the idea of the Ausso Leadership Academy and the unique differentiation it offers.” He continued “the first inspiration was what I would have advised my younger self, and the second inspiration was to be the Mentor I wish I had.”
Meet the #ALA Faculty pt1 (@austin_okere )
He is the Founder and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Ausso Leadership Academy. Austin has an #MBA from @iesebschool & over 30 years industry experience, covering roles in Visioning & Strateg…#Thread pic.twitter.com/5lYP7XNByD— austin okere (@austin_okere) February 14, 2018
The huge gap in the entrepreneurial ecosystem is due to the lack of a personalized mentorship program to complement what professors teach entrepreneurs at business schools. Entrepreneurs are best mentored by other entrepreneurs who understand the trailblazing journey and how to spot opportunities from challenges and create new businesses for themselves and others.
The need for resourcefulness and an innovation mindset to reinvent oneself when disruption knocks on the door is a key skill which entrepreneurs need to imbibe. ALA provides the medium for the veterans to pass on this experiential skill, emphasizing what has worked in their own journeys, and the pitfalls to avoid.
Among the Champions of Entrepreneurship who will be sharing their experiences are Ibukun Awosika, Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, Tony Elumelu, John Momoh, Frank Aigbogun, Austin Avuru, Dotun Suleiman, Ndidi Nwuneli, Ernest Ndukwe, Mitchel Elegbe, Charles Anudu, Seyi Bickerseth and Deji Alli to mention a few.
The Ausso Leadership academy was set up to mentor Entrepreneurs to Institutionalize and Scale their businesses geometrically. The vision is to maximize the jobs created by Entrepreneurs in order to enable shared prosperity.https://t.co/vmTM0h8vLo#ALA
— austin okere (@austin_okere) February 13, 2018
The Faculty include Austin Okere, Chris Stephenson, Opeyemi Agbaje and Rasheed Olaoluwa. On why he accepted to be a faculty at ALA, Chris said “Austin is one of Africa’s leading Tech Entrepreneurs, and I’ve been working with him since 2010. I want to get behind his exciting new venture and continue our partnership.”
He continued “I would recommend the Academy to prospective participants because Entrepreneurs need a clear Vision and Operational Plan with which to inspire colleagues, investors and other stakeholders. The Academy will bring them the thinking, approaches, tips and tricks that its faculty have all learned the hard way. More importantly, it will provide them with the framework, network and above all confidence for success, whatever their venture.”
Dr Omobola Johnson to share her experience at the #ALA. As a Pioneer Minister of Communications Technology in Nigeria, she left her indelible mark on the industry. She cut a bold trail, leaving behind a legacy of a Broadband blueprint & a comprehensive ICT Policy doc.#Thread pic.twitter.com/4PBB3Xn5Xo
— austin okere (@austin_okere) February 19, 2018
According to Opeyemi Agbaje, he bought into the program because he believes that “efforts to tackle corruption must recognize its socio-economic linkages, especially poverty and unemployment. An effective and sustainable anti-corruption strategy must be anchored in the context of an ambitious economic reform program that creates employment in large numbers to foster inclusive economic growth. This is what I believe the Ausso Leadership Academy brings to the table and why I want to contribute my quota.”
Rasheed Olawoluwa, on the other hand, says “Entrepreneurial Leadership is incomplete without a Vision and a strong ability to Influence People to get Results. This is what we aim to impart at the Ausso Leadership Academy.”
The Ausso Leadership Academy recognizing that capital is essential to scaling has entered into partnerships with Investors including the African Wealth Partners AG of Switzerland to offer opportunities for capital to entrepreneurs who successfully articulate their growth plans.
According to the Martin Emodi, Founding Partner of the Africa Wealth Partners, “We were seriously impressed by the practical leadership development programme Mr Okere is putting together for Nigerian entrepreneurs. It is so important to give the entrepreneurs the tools and support to take their businesses to the next level. This will be good business for all involved but most importantly for the country and its development.”
He continued “We are delighted to partner up with the Ausso Leadership Academy and contribute to this laudable initiative. We believe strongly in long-term partnerships and we are convinced we just found such a partner today in Austin Okere and the Ausso Leadership Academy.”
Dear friends,
I am pleased to announce that the registration for the Ausso Leadership Academy (@ausso_academy) is now open..
Kindly click on this link>> https://t.co/MbvYkyzfXV to begin the process.
Best of luck#ALA pic.twitter.com/0ff0pRZzJx— austin okere (@austin_okere) February 23, 2018
Entrepreneurship is widely held to be the engine of growth of the economy, providing the backbone of job creation and accelerating National development.
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