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Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map - Programming - Nairaland

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Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 11:34am On Mar 24, 2007
Musings On Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map

I've been giving this issue a lot of thought recently and I think a number of Nigerian software firms have a major medium to long term strategic problem.

Simply put, our firms cannot continue to produce localised software solutions. At best, it is economically unsound and at worst, it is painfully risky.

Reasons:

[list]
[li]The local market is painfully small - Why sell accounting or HR software to only 50 small (i.e. < $100m annual revenue) companies when you can sell to thousands of larger, more IT savvy global firms?[/li]

[li]The local market is not demanding - The dearth of quality competition has made consumers and developers complacent. How do you explain the proliferation of buggy, over-hacked VB apps, 90s system design and systems that cannot talk to other systems. You know yourselves.[/li]

[li]Venture capital and govt policies are not friendly to tech firms - Every software developer that has even tried to get angel investment will know this. VCs literally prefer brick and mortar companies. Additionally, recent Central Bank guidelines prohibit banks from recognising intellectual property in the valuation of companies. That says it all.[/li]
[/list]

I personally think that in the high tech game, the world is your oyster. To distribute software, you don't need ship containers or delivery trucks, so why restrict yourself to a local market like a typical manufacturing firm.

Lets take a commonly used example - the Indian (or not so Indian since they are listed on the NASDAQ) company Infosys. They implemented a global strategy, got global clients and secured funding from global investors. Simply put, they put themselves in a position to grow larger quicker and ultimately, they rolled into Nigeria and put a lot of cushy software firms out of business - perhaps rightly. Similarly, young programmers (who are no different from us) start firms from all parts of the world and through the Internet, reach into our backyards very quickly.

The summary is that we should not mix nationalism with business. If you are a software firm or team, you must have a strategy to globalise regardless of how much you make in the local market. You can't afford not to because you'll be out of business sooner than you know it.

There are many other related issues that I want to raise but I'll keep it short so that others can comment.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by LoverBwoy(m): 2:39pm On Mar 24, 2007
Good point! It also applies to Almost every sector in Nigeria seems Nigerian businessmen like playing Local champion.

-They are usually not good enough for the local market
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by Okeamu1(m): 2:48pm On Mar 24, 2007
We r third world and that says it all, people should afford 3 square meals before worrying about high tech,
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 3:05pm On Mar 24, 2007
We are not in the 3rd world. By we , I am referring to the demographic of Nigerian software developers that will get to read this post, many of whom can afford to eat three square meals a day.

High tech refers to the cutting edge, innovative section of IT. There is nothing magical about it. We all got taught the same things in uni so what gives? I've seen some of the guys in my class in uni go on to sign deals in Silicon Valley.

The fact is innovation and scale is the basis of competition nowadays. If you don't innovate and you can't scale, then you can't compete, and you'll be wiped out. Simple. It is the reason why many of us have Yahoo - a foreigh portal's email accounts instead of enownow - a local portal's email accounts. They are both portals but one was late to the game whilst the other was conceived ages ago and crucially, has a global strategy.

It is quite clear that competition is global and if we don't have a global strategy, these firms will eventually come in (or get invited in by our own people) and clean us out. Even having a West Africa strategy isn't enough.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by Okeamu1(m): 3:41pm On Mar 24, 2007
DJNiyi:

We are not in the 3rd world. By we , I am referring to the demographic of Nigerian software developers that will get to read this post, many of whom can afford to eat three square meals a day.

High tech refers to the cutting edge, innovative section of IT. There is nothing magical about it. We all got taught the same things in uni so what gives? I've seen some of the guys in my class in uni go on to sign deals in Silicon Valley.

The fact is innovation and scale is the basis of competition nowadays. If you don't innovate and you can't scale, then you can't compete, and you'll be wiped out. Simple. It is the reason why many of us have Yahoo - a foreigh portal's email accounts instead of enownow - a local portal's email accounts. They are both portals but one was late to the game whilst the other was conceived ages ago and crucially, has a global strategy.

It is quite clear that competition is global and if we don't have a global strategy, these firms will eventually come in (or get invited in by our own people) and clean us out. Even having a West Africa strategy isn't enough.


We are in the third world, denying it will not solve the problem, acknowledging it and working towards changing it will make a big change,

Alot of softwares are already out there providing services to people, visit www.download.com and download samples, We have a long way to go,
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 4:00pm On Mar 24, 2007
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Some of us believe they are in the 3rd world and that's fine for them. However, some of us like to think we are not in a "3rd world" and we see ourselves as intellectual equals with our colleagues all around the world. The whole "3rd world" colo mentality is an anachronism anyway.

Back to the central issue: why Nigerian software firms are absent on the global map

We are looking for solutions and inspirational stories. Are there any Nigerian software developers (or firms) doing interesting projects that hold up to global scrutiny? Even if it is part of a uni research project.

Can anyone comment on this?
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by Nobody: 3:15pm On Mar 25, 2007
You forget that there is great competition out there.the indians and asians especially. They have carved a niche
for themselves in the software world. Most major programming jobs in the US are outsourced to indians.cus apparently, they dont
ask much and work long hours. And Ive hung out with some of them, and they are something else. Its not just about the hype!!
I attented a job fair here, and went to speak over to the Accenture guys. What they told me was as far as IT was concerned, they simply
mapped the buisness models to processes grin (or something like that) and outsourced it to, you guessed it. Indian firms.

Ive noticed in Nigeria that most people entered programming simply because they heard or felt it would be a money spinner, and most applications
I've seen dont have any stamp of quality. Development is done without any application of standardizes software engineering techniques,
Some can't even model their system in UML, or churn out a simple requirements specification/design specification. To such people its "just learn PHP and
everything else follows."
As a result you simply get applications that don't do what they are supposed to do, and have sooo many holes in them.

So we need to :

1. Integrate quality into our development processes, Im sure you know there are standards for software development/quality metrics.

2. You got to have professional training before you are allowed to handle some contract. Im sure non of us would allow anyone claiming to be a doctor
to operate on us without being TOTALLY sure he's a professional at the job.

3. We need to weed out guys who take this as just a money spinner and have no passion for the job.

Just my 2 cents oooo!! one love, no beef!! grin
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 4:17pm On Mar 25, 2007
wavemasta:

You forget that there is great competition out there.the indians and asians especially. They have carved a niche
for themselves in the software world.

wavemasta:

So we need to :

1. Integrate quality into our development processes, I'm sure you know there are standards for software development/quality metrics.

2. You got to have professional training before you are allowed to handle some contract. I'm sure non of us would allow anyone claiming to be a doctor
to operate on us without being TOTALLY sure he's a professional at the job.

3. We need to weed out guys who take this as just a money spinner and have no passion for the job.

Just my 2 cents oooo!! one love, no beef!! grin

You are right on point there. I'll like to believe that with the some direction, we can compete with the best of the best in Asia.

By direction, I mean:

[list]
[li]
No more 1-man coding teams - We need to organise ourselves properly in order to grow rapidly. At the very least, you need someone to code, someone to test and integrate, someone to document (the bane of many a software developer), and crucially someone to market and sell. Naturally, all these roles can be filled by more than one person or the roles may overlap but the worse setup is when one person tries to do everything. It just isn't scalable.[/li]

[li]
Get ISO9001:2000 or COBIT certification - You will need this if you want to compete for contracts (especially in the financial sector) with foreign name brand firms. I have it on record that this is the single most important reason why Infosys was accepted very easily in Nigeria at the expense of some possibly better software alternatives. At the very least, we need try to implement some quality standards as described by the certification guidelines.[/li]

[li]
Understand the system behind the system - This sounds like a cliche and I didn't want to include it cus no matter how u phrase it, it sounds patronising. Nonetheless, it is very important. You don't have to be a guru in 8008 assembly anymore but a firm grounding in algorithm design, optimisation and measurement (Big O Notation) is crucial. You can't be calling functions without knowing how to write your own better function. The reason is this - to innovate, you need to be able to dig up the roots and write a better foundation.[/li]
[li]
Compete internationally - Your system has to be on par with best alternatives internationally. If you are running a portal, it has to be on even footing with Yahoo. If you are designing an accounting system, it has to be on par with Quicken or Quickbooks. If you want to write a game, get ready to make it like Halo. It is a tall task but I believe whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. If you are not ready to be the best, then move aside cus ultimately, the best will takeover your market, however niche you think it is.[/li]
[/list]

I cede the floor, lipsrsealed
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by roflmao: 3:26am On Mar 26, 2007
The problems are in the fundamentals and foundation of the country's economy and industry. The IT sector in Nigeria isn't matured yet. In fact it's only just being born. To compete on an international stage you need companies that have successfully catered for the demands of local economy first. But that's not happening. The system is still heavily reliant on manual processes and setup. When automated and integrated systems find their ways into corporations, businesses, academic institutions, research centers e.t.c then the demand for Information Systems will flood in.

Another problem is the calibre of IT graduates produced by the universities. These guys are more than capable of competing with the conterparts at universities in US or Germany but their practical exposure is very limited. The universities lack resources which is a MUST when training students, especially in science related subjects. As such the work of a US graduate will most likely be better than that of a Nigerian graduate not because the American is better but because (s)he has been exposed to latest technology and resources used in the real world throughout his/her academic studies.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by sandoka(m): 5:06pm On Mar 26, 2007
I salute you guys. I am enjoying the debate and arguments though i am not one bit a programmer but i'd love to be one someday so that we all can gainfully integrate and standardize the IT sector in this country.
No doubts the indians have created a niche for themselves here in Nigeria but it doesn't mean that the Nigerian man is not as good as his counterparts in the remaining part of the world.
I must emphasize that the IT sector is still in the development process and more and more people are coming in gradually. So this means that there is hope for the future of the IT industry in Nigeria which will be powered by the many talented people we have in our country. But for the IT business to flourish, we need not see it as a money spinning business rather as a tool that will improve business lives in this country. Secondly, the govt when making policies or guidelines should have the interest of Nigerians at heart and give the people that enabling environment that will enable them stand shoulder to shoulder with the top players in the world.

This is just my two kobo piece.

One more thing i agree with DJNiyi that we are not in a 3rd world country. The sooner we put that in our pipes and smoke it the better for us.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by rookie(m): 6:17pm On Mar 26, 2007
-- DJNiyi
Great point. I have been nursing a shallow ambition of starting a highly Nigerian market centric Software company. I will definitely thing of the bigger prospect you have mentioned.


-- Oke_amu
u sound like you stumbled into this forum by mistake. This is "Programming" Thread. All people talk about here might as well be called "High Tech", and some people earn their living by developing those high tech softwares. Having said that, do you even realized how much revenue a well developed IT sector can bring to the nations economy. Not to mention how many jobs it will provide in the future. Have you read about India's booming economy lately. India is still a developing nation, but their booming IT sector is rapidly changing things.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by deejay1(m): 8:23pm On Mar 26, 2007
am sorry if my point does not make sence its just that an inqusitive and want to know whether the softwares are actually manufactured in nigeria and by nigeria IT pro's? or nigeria is just serving as a retail country of the software that are made abroad? and does anyone know that names of the firms that does it in nigeria?
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by sbucareer(f): 8:48pm On Mar 26, 2007

DJNiyi:
Some of us believe they are in the 3rd world and that's fine for them. However, some of us like to think we are not in a "3rd world" and we see ourselves as intellectual equals with our colleagues all around the world. The whole "3rd world" colo mentality is an anachronism anyway.

Please next time do not use the word 3rd world. It is an insult to developing countries like Africa. There is no such thing as 1st world, 2nd world, and 3rd world. The world was created at the same time. The first civilizations know to man today was developed by Africans. The ancient Africans developed the first spoken and written language. Africans first conceived the study of astronomy and stars. Time was originated in Africa. Before the Europeans appeared on the surface of earth there was a culture and civilization called Africans.

So please don't ever refer to Africa as third world. We are in fact the first world. The problem of Africa today is colonization or should I say assimilation and the better phase of slavery. When Africa had their power according to the bible we enslaved them too but we did not treat them the way they treated us.

The West is super power today and rich because of the sweat of our forefathers we sold into slavery. Britain has recognized the impact of slavery and are offering apologies and looking for ways to amend relationship with the Africans although their possessive ego will still be their primary interest.

Next time, please refer to Africa or others as a developing country not a 3rd world. Many African Professors would be appalled and upset if you ever use that word to them. Martin Luther King did not die for me to be called 3rd world.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 8:37am On Mar 27, 2007
On the 3rd world issue, I'm glad that majority of us are in agreement that we are not in a 3rd world. It is dangerous thinking because it is self reenforcing.

sbucareer:


Next time, please refer to Africa or others as a developing country not a 3rd world. Many African Professors would be appalled and upset if you ever use that world to them. Martin Luther King did not die for me to be called 3rd world.

Well said.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 8:40am On Mar 27, 2007
deejay1:

am sorry if my point does not make sence its just that an inqusitive and want to know whether the softwares are actually manufactured in nigeria and by nigeria IT pro's? or nigeria is just serving as a retail country of the software that are made abroad? and does anyone know that names of the firms that does it in nigeria?

By and large, most of the software in Nigeria is developed abroad so I guess you are right, Nigeria is currently serving as a net importer and retailer of foreign software. There is a thread called Top Earners in the Nigerian Software Industry (link: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-3845.0.html) that lists some of the main actors. I think the top firm - Computer Warehose earns quite a bit from supporting Infosys of India. Some of them can't be described as pure play software firms cus they do this "3rd party foreign software support" thing which I still can't understand. Naming them will be flamebaiting so i don't think we should name them.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by Seun(m): 8:46am On Mar 27, 2007
(Whether the software is made in Nigeria or not, the important thing is that Nigerians are being served.
We should export the things we are good at making and import the things we are bad at making <Econs 101>.)
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 8:56am On Mar 27, 2007
sandoka:

Secondly, the govt when making policies or guidelines should have the interest of Nigerians at heart and give the people that enabling environment that will enable them stand shoulder to shoulder with the top players in the world.

Hmmm, dude, as much as I agree with you, I don't think we should hold our breath on that one happening anytime soon. I've always held that the sooner one expects nothing from government, the sooner one is able to face and deal with realities effectively.

These guys don't care about the software industry. They just pay lip service to it. Their intepretation of helping the software industry is the equivalent of ordering all govt agencies to patronise a single developer. Its not good for competition and it is cronyism. Most of the time however, they hold seminars, give speeches and do nothing. Trust me bobo, the same way they talked extensively about converting the huge Federal Secretariat complex in Ikoyi into a software park and ended up doing the total opposite; that's the same way they'll make promises and not deliver anything.

At the very least, I'll expect some sort of R&grin tax relief, cheap office complex (there are many abandoned Federal offices in Lagos e.g. NITEL HQ Marina) with commumal Internet Access facility and a local library (even if they don't provide books, many people will donate). The rest, we can build on easily.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by Seun(m): 8:58am On Mar 27, 2007
If an industry cannot survive without government assistance, then it does not deserve to exist. wink
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 9:13am On Mar 27, 2007
Seun:

If an industry cannot survive without government assistance, then it does not deserve to exist. wink
Good point.

Seun:

(Whether the software is made in Nigeria or not, the important thing is that Nigerians are being served.
We should export the things we are good at making and import the things we are bad at making <Econs 101>.)
We have an innate ability to be good at writing software. Any nation can do it as long as it is not full of girls (just kidding o, wink If there are any ladies here, first of all , what r u doing in a geek forum and two, I'm just kidding, one of my old CS teachers, Kirsty was a woman, a fine one too)

Back to the point, we have the ability to write good software so we should not be net importers. It is like saying - we haven't been able to run our refineries efficiently so we should continue to export oil and import petrol. It doesn't make sense. We can write good software so it is economically sound that Nigerians get served by Nigerians and economically progressive that foreigners get served by Nigerians.
lipsrsealed
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by sbucareer(f): 9:50am On Mar 27, 2007
seun:
If an industry cannot survive without government assistance, then it does not deserve to exist.

I do not entirely agree with you Seun from such an intellectual mind like you. Businesses and corporations should sometime in their life require the assistance of government. It could be in the form of

1. Tax relieve
2. Wind fall
3. Cooperate tax cuts
4. Trade fair (Like office of the fair trade) to avoid monopoly from big and huge cap companies

The first five years of any new company faces a very difficult time. It could be either to pay back their loans and shareholder or to make profit and remain competitive.

In the West, government plays an important role in helping large and small-scale business to grow profitable. If they do, the government will benefit at a longer run.

Company like London Underground was give £30B last year to help with running of the company. Cadbury last year ran into problems with a Nigerian accountant (I don't really know what happened) and government stepped in to help thousands of employees who faces redundant and layoffs.

I don't need to tell you about Enron. NHS (National Health Service) is in a deficit of billions and government is trying to write it off. These are the sorts of things government should help the company, particularly the poor staff at the lower food chain working for the firm.

Later, you would start to complain that Nigerians are Yahoo boys when government cannot help to keep unemployment low.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by rookie(m): 1:53pm On Mar 27, 2007
Seun:

(Whether the software is made in Nigeria or not, the important thing is that Nigerians are being served.
We should export the things we are good at making and import the things we are bad at making <Econs 101>.)

I hope that was a joke though. Nigeria has a lot to gain if the Software Industry grow, and i think we have the human resources and potentials.
that would definitely attract more people to the field and open rooms for lots of jobs, and perhaps help reduce our dependence on oil revenue - (wishful thinking smiley)
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by bioye(m): 4:18pm On Mar 27, 2007
Action speaks louder than words.

Action points, anyone?
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 7:36pm On Mar 27, 2007
As far as action points go, I'm doing exactly as I preach.

I don't do one man coding anymore, I'm getting my firm certified, and we are definitely implementing a global strategy, one step at a time.

Wish us luck
smiley
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by LearnBook: 9:46pm On Mar 27, 2007
Potential developers should also study actual trends. These days a lot of software are webbased and based on the common LAMP (Linux, Apache, Mysql and PHP). These are all free. Most of the software developers I met do not appear to have these skills.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by texazzpete(m): 9:38am On Mar 28, 2007
You software developers need to take a good long look at yourselves.

When 80% of you guys churn out yet another cyber cafe timer, yet another generic Hotel management system software and other common and unneeded apps, where will you get the recognition you crave?

Garner skills on par (or at least not too far behind) your foreign counterparts, produce new and innovative software and your profile will grow.


@sbucareer
I disagree that the western world is rich and powerful because of our slavery. How much of our sweat and blood went into inventing the automobile, electricity, telecommunications, gunpowder etc?

I've sought far and wide for any proof that the Black African (excluding egyptians!) had a wheel. I've found none! Until the europeans came, Black Africa could not even discover the Wheel, which scientists term one of the oldest and most important inventions ever! and this same wheel has been in Europe since the 4th millenium BC. I fail to see how we would have developed technologically in centuries without the intervention of the White Man.
Just my opinion, sha grin
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by BlackMamba(m): 8:08pm On Mar 28, 2007
If there is no democratic government or some stable government (China), everything else is just pipe dream. That is the only difference between the developed and undeveloped countries. With a stable representative government, accountable to the people everything else falls in place like magic.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by Seun(m): 8:20pm On Mar 28, 2007
I changed my mind about becoming a commercial software developer when I realized that all the cool and useful programs I could think of have already been written, and most are available for free download on the net. The 'fun' aspect of software development - writing applications for thousands of people (retail) - has been commoditized.

The easy money is now in what the indians have built their 'empire' on - custom software development. But it's as boring as hell! One form of custom software development that is doing well is website development.

And then there's the 419 issue: who is going to ask a Nigerian to build a mission-critical piece of software?

If the industry deserves to exist, then all these hurdles will be overcome without any government "support".
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by LearnBook: 9:29am On Mar 29, 2007
Seun, are you implying that all the problems and potential problems that we face in Nigeria and West Africa have been solved? Altavista was the dominant search engine before google. Where are they now? I think that there are lots of problems waiting to be solved.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 1:47pm On Mar 29, 2007
Seun:

I changed my mind about becoming a commercial software developer when I realized that all the cool and useful programs I could think of have already been written, and most are available for free download on the net. The 'fun' aspect of software development - writing applications for thousands of people (retail) - has been commoditized.

Dude, there are millions of commercial and social problems that are yet to be solved by new software.

Stroll through the research labs in most universities and you'll observe it directly. I think the absence of commercially sponsored R&grin culture in Nigeria fosters the thinking that there is nothing left to be solved. There are still innovations to be created in automated financial trading systems, search engine data management, human behavioural modelling, and the mother of all, the holy grail itself - Turing compliant artificial intelligence.

Seun:

And then there's the 419 issue: who is going to ask a Nigerian to build a mission-critical piece of software?
The Nigerian Federal Government for one. If the company/software is ISO 9001:2000 compliant, it will pass due process.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by DJNiyi(m): 2:02pm On Mar 29, 2007
texazzpete:

How much of our sweat and blood went into inventing the automobile, electricity, telecommunications, gunpowder etc?

I've sought far and wide for any proof that the Black African (excluding egyptians!) had a wheel. I've found none! Until the europeans came, Black Africa could not even discover the Wheel, which scientists term one of the oldest and most important inventions ever! and this same wheel has been in Europe since the 4th millenium BC. I fail to see how we would have developed technologically in centuries without the intervention of the White Man.
Just my opinion, sha grin
You started well but sadly went offtopic and off-fact. First of all, historians will tell you that ancient Egypt and the ancient Nubia-Kush empire shared a lot of technology, people and resources, the result of which was the foundation on which modern civilization was built.

You know what, for everyone's benefit, I'll start another thread on it. I'm sure a lot of people will want to know more. Here is the link - https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-46687.0.html
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by IG: 8:46pm On Apr 26, 2007
We r third world and that says it all, people should afford 3 square meals before worrying about high tech,
@Oke_amu, is that why you took the cowards way out by escaping to America.

I think everything is in the mind. If you think you can be great then you can and if you think you are a failure then you are.
A mentally enslaved person will continue being a slave even if you free him and a free mind will continue being free even if you enslave the body.
Re: Why Nigerian Software Firms Are Absent On The Global Map by my2cents(m): 3:30pm On Apr 27, 2007
It's all about attitude folks. If pple don't want to accept us, we make them accept us. Do you all think India/China just sat there and the US just started going to them? Nope. They made the US notice them.

Also, why not look at nollywood? They are already on the global map. Perhaps we could borrow from their experience (which would actually be cool cos we would know to avoid areas where they met resistance)? Just a thought.

I see this happening on 2 fronts: Government, via its embassies, promoting Nigeria's potential to the world and individuals, taking the risk to actually go to, say, career fairs, etc to advertise themselves.

Interestingly, I had a conversation with an american co-worker yesterday and one thing he said struck me. He said, "my perception of you is your reality of me". So if oyibo percieves us to be not up to task, then the reality is, until we disprove them at least, that we are not up to task. Very sad, but true.

If India and China can do it, so can we!

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