The conversations are still going on!

What is your favourite business opportunity on the list?



Read the full list at this link:

https://www.smallstarter.com/browse-ideas/roadmap-11-big-business-opportunities-in-africa-2021-and-beyond/

New Question:

"Why are crypto-currencies and Forex not on the list?"

RESPONSE:

Trading in crypto-currencies and Forex are regarded as "speculative investments". Unlike a business that requires an entrepreneur to create value in the form of a product or service that people want to pay for, speculation is only a bet that creates no real value in the market.

Due to their high volatility, crypto and Forex are high-risk investments. That's why the people who teach how to trade crypto and Forex actually make more money than people who actually trade them.

Please be wise.

Don't forget to check out the list of business opportunities at: https://www.smallstarter.com/browse-ideas/roadmap-11-big-business-opportunities-in-africa-2021-and-beyond/

I got this from someone who read the article:

"very interesting
but I was surprised that tourism was not included on the list. So my question, have you looked deeply into the tourism industry and the economic opportunities?"

MY RESPONSE:

Tourism remains a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for the African continent. However, tourism didn't make the list for 2021 due to the effects of COVID-19 on the industry. It's a wait-and-watch situation right now for tourism in many African countries. I guess 2021 might just be a year of recovery for the industry.

Currently, all the industries connected to the tourism industry are bleeding: airlines, hotels, resorts, travel agencies, etc.

However, once the travel industry recovers and the virus (and the fear of it) is gone, Africa remains the biggest potential source and destination for tourists over the next 30 years.

Last week, Smallstarter Africa released this insightful market research about the big market trends and business opportunities to watch in 2021.

Some of the opportunities are quite familiar. But some will very likely shock you.

I'm sharing an excerpt of the list here:

---

Every crisis creates two things: problems and opportunities.

As the world fights COVID-19 and its devastating impacts on human life, the economy, businesses, and jobs, we are often too distracted by the problems to notice the growing opportunities around us — especially in an interesting market like Africa.

Surprisingly, last year, despite the pandemic and the lockdowns and business shutdowns that came with it, tech startups across Africa still raised more than $1.3 billion from local and international investors.

Africa has significant growth potential. And that’s why you should pay close attention to the business opportunities on this list.

These are the biggest business opportunities in Africa that will likely define 2021 and the rest of the new decade.

These opportunities will inspire new business ideas, spark creativity and innovation, and create considerable wealth, growth, and jobs on the continent.

Some of the opportunities on this list are quite familiar. But some will very likely shock you.

If you’re thinking of starting a business or diversifying into a new business this year, this detailed list of opportunities provides clear insights to guide your next moves.

The business opportunities you’re about to read are based on serious but unsolved problems, underserved and ignored needs, growing consumer demand, and shifts and changes in the market.

You are going to learn a lot from this.

Don’t forget to SHARE this list with your smart friends.

They’re going to thank you for it.

Let’s meet the big market trends and business opportunities in Africa to watch in 2021 and beyond.

1. Branded food products



With over a billion mouths to feed, food is one of the biggest business opportunities in Africa.

In fact, the UN estimates that agribusiness on the continent could be worth $1 trillion by 2030.

But there is something very strange about how food is sold in many parts of Africa.

During the harvest season, most food products are abundant, fresh, and cheap. And the market glut and oversupply often leads to a lot of waste.

But on the shelves of many of the local supermarkets and international retailers in Africa’s urban areas, something very different is happening. There are lots of branded food products imported from other parts of the world — the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America.

And therein lies the conundrum:

Why does a continent that produces large amounts of food still spend over $35 billion annually to import food that is in canned, bagged, bottled, and other packaged formats?

While there are a couple of reasons for this, one thing is clear: Africa’s agribusiness value chain is too focused on production. Our farmers just keep trying to grow more and more food.

As a result, opportunities to add value and increase profit margins through processing, packaging, branding, and marketing of local foods are being ignored.

This is why most of Africa’s food products are sold as commodities. Our farmers produce tomatoes in abundance but we import and stock branded tomato paste, purees, and ketchup on supermarket shelves. We export grains and cocoa beans, and then import branded breakfast cereals and chocolate.

Currently, while the continent has millions of farmers, there are only a handful of local companies in Africa that process, package, and brand food products that can compete with international brands on supermarket shelves.

Thankfully, this wide (and growing) gap in the market is attracting smart entrepreneurs.

In Tanzania, Jennifer Bash is the brain behind Alaska Tanzania Industries. The company packages, brands and distributes a range of products, including eggs, rice, processed maize flour, and sunflower oil to local supermarkets.

In Zambia, Monica Musonda became the first female indigenous player in the noodle business. After working for the Dangote Group in Nigeria, she returned to her native country to start Java Foods. Today, the company produces a range of noodle and breakfast cereal products made from local ingredients.

And in Senegal, former chef Pierre Thiam is proving that local African foods can be branded for global appeal. His brand, Yolélé, packages fonio (a local cereal) into shelf-ready formats targeted at the US market. He struck a deal with Whole Foods to distribute the products across the USA.

With a population of over a billion people that is fast-urbanizing and projected to double in size by 2050, the tastes and preferences of the African consumer are changing.

When it comes to food, people are paying more attention to quality, packaging, brand, nutritional value, shelf life, convenience, and availability.

And it is those entrepreneurs who can look beyond the production stage and add more value to locally-produced food who will be the big winners in this decade.

2. Cybersecurity & Data storage


The Samrand data center facility in Johannesburg, South Africa (c: Africa Data Centres)

Every year, African businesses lose more than $3.5 billion to hackers and cybersecurity breaches.

Cybersecurity is fast becoming one of the key emerging business opportunities in Africa because of the potential damages and losses that are at stake.

Individuals and organizations of all sizes are being targeted. The attacks range from simple email scams to large-scale theft of customer data, fraud, ransomware, espionage, critical infrastructure sabotage, and other malicious activities.

And more threats are emerging every day.

According to the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, up to 96% of cybersecurity incidents in Africa go unreported or unresolved — this means that cyber threats on the continent are likely much worse than the official statistics.

Worse still, Africa doesn’t have enough specialists to defend itself from the growing threats. The continent currently has a gap of over 100,000 certified cybersecurity professionals.

Interestingly, a growing number of entrepreneurs on the continent are rising to the challenge.

Last year, 26-year-old Charlotte N’Guessan became the first-ever woman to win the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering’s prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

The tech entrepreneur from Côte D’Ivoire is the brain behind BACE API, a software that uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to verify identities remotely. The solution is targeted at financial institutions and other industries that rely on identity verification to reduce cybersecurity risks.

The market for data storage services is also growing very fast in Africa.

In fact, it’s being called “the world’s next data gold rush.”

Industry experts project the size of Africa’s data centre market could reach $3 billion by 2025, growing at a 12% compound rate. In the last five years, major global cloud service providers such as AWS, Microsoft, and Huawei have been making inroads into Africa.

Recently, a company owned by Zimbabwe telecoms billionaire Strive Masiyiwa raised $300 million to build and expand data centers in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya.

Also, Rack Centre, a data storage company in Nigeria that serves the West African market, has raised $250 million from a London-based private equity firm.

The demand for local data storage capacity in Africa is rising in line with its rapid population growth, urbanization, smartphone use, and internet penetration.

As the continent goes digital, uses more data, and adopts cloud computing as well as co-location, local caching, and centralized networking capabilities, the demand for local data storage will continue to go through the roof.

---------

Read the full list at the link below:

https://www.smallstarter.com/browse-ideas/roadmap-11-big-business-opportunities-in-africa-2021-and-beyond/

---

twentyk:
wow inspiring,i would love to be able to make shoes though.....dope shoes,sneakers and all.....

It's totally possible. There are already a couple of young Nigerians already doing it. I'll give you two examples...

First is TTDalk, the fast rising footwear brand by Temilade Osinfade, who started making custom footwear for people while at university. Now, he has several outlets in Nigeria. I've been at his brand shop at the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos and his products are great.

Second is Ese Odiete, who graduated from university only a few years ago. She uses local Naija fabric like adire to make fashionable footwear. A few months ago, she met with Sir Richard Branson as part of the re-branding for Virgin Atlantic.

You know what the amazing thing is? Both Temilade and Ese don't personally make the footwear they sell. They just design and have skilled local shoemakers who make the footwear.

So, yes, you too can build your own footwear business too. These success stories prove that it's possible. You just need to be creative and entrepreneurial to successfully pull it off.

#4

Lorna Rutto, The Queen of Plastic Recycling (Kenya)




In Nairobi, Kenya, just like in Lagos and other major towns and cities in Nigeria, plastic waste is a huge problem. The city of Nairobi generates up to 3,000 tons of waste a day. This is less than one-quarter of the waste produced in Lagos daily, but it’s still a huge volume nonetheless.

Lorna Rutto is a young Kenyan entrepreneur who used to work in a bank. She quit her job in 2009 to start a small business that collects plastic waste from the city and converts them into poles, like the ones we use in Naija as ‘electric poles’ and ‘fencing poles’.

Why poles? What’s the big deal about poles?

That’s the same thing I thought until I learned that Kenya has been losing its vast forests to severe deforestation caused by people cutting down trees for timber. In fact, timber has become more expensive as supply cannot meet the huge market demand.
That’s the opportunity that Lorna saw.

The plastic poles that Lorna’s small company produces have proven to be a top alternative to timber in the market. Since she started production, she has made over $350,000 in revenues, saved over 250 acres of valuable forest areas and created over 500 direct and indirect jobs.

In 2011, she was awarded the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award. Lorna has been featured on CNN, Forbes and several other international media.

Her revolutionary success with plastic waste has attracted investment in her business, which helped her to move to a bigger production facility.

Apart from poles, plastic waste has a lot of other interesting uses. Recycled plastic waste is used to make jeans, carpets, rugs and several other stuff.

If you want to learn more about opportunities in the waste recycling industry, and read more inspiring success stories like this one, Click here

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

sagr:
D list is not complete witout aitforce1,temitemi,tosyn2much,INTROVERT,importexport.

#3

Nkulenu, The Masters of Bottled Palm Wine (Ghana)




Did you know that in 2014 alone, Nigeria spent more than $50 million on champagne and imported wines?

Nigeria is the fastest growing market for foreign wines in Africa. We spend millions of Naira every year on exotic alcoholic beverages like beer, wines and spirits. But what about our local alcoholic beverages? Don’t we have something to offer the world?

Nkulenu is a family-owned business in Ghana that has successfully bottled local palm wine and exports it to markets in the UK, Western Europe and the USA. This product is enjoyed especially by West Africans who miss the taste of sweet palm wine.

I hear it’s a top favourite in restaurants in Europe and America where it is served.

If I could always get chilled and well-preserved palm wine everytime I hang out to drink, I would never spend my money on Star, Gulder or Guinness Stout.

Do you know how much money companies like Nigerian Breweries and Diageo (Guinness) make in Nigeria every year?

Can you guess the revenues of brands like Hennessey, Moet and Johnny Walker in Nigeria alone?

It’s in the multi-millions of dollars.

The market for alcoholic beverages in Nigeria is huge. With over 75 million males of drinking age, our country is the largest and most concentrated market for alcoholic beverages in Africa.

The ongoing disaster caused by ‘poisonous’ local gin (aka ‘ogogoro’), which has now been outlawed, presents another interesting business opportunity for smart entrepreneurs.

What if there was a NAFDAC-registered brand of ‘ogogoro’ in the market? I’ll bet you that it’s a product that will sell like crazy in motor parks and local joints across urban and rural Nigeria.

The huge successes of Alomo Bitters and Orijin in Nigeria are testament to the lucrative potential of our local African beverages.

If you want to learn more about opportunities in the alcoholic beverage market, and read more inspiring success stories like this one, you should read ‘101 Ways To Make Money In Africa’

It’s an amazing book every aspiring Nigerian entrepreneur should read.

To check it out, Click here.

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

#2

Bethlehem Alemu, Founder of Africa’s fastest growing footwear company (Ethiopia)




Have you noticed how talented some of our local shoemakers in Nigeria are? Some of them make such beautiful and high quality footwear. In fact, I still have a lovely pair of sandals custom-made for me since 2009 by one of those local craftsmen who had a small shop in Yaba (Lagos). I still rock the same sandals till today!

This story is the same in many parts of Africa. We have very talented and skilled craftspeople who make great stuff. The problem is, many of them remain poor because they don’t have access to premium markets.

Bethlehem Alemu comes from a region of Ethiopia that is well known for their beautiful and high quality footwear products. For those who don't know, Ethiopia is Africa’s largest producer of leather, and one of the top sources of high grade leather in the world.

Bethlehem saw a huge opportunity in her local community and started to organise the local craftsmen to make high quality footwear which she sold and exported to the international market.

Her simple idea paid off. (It’s important to note here that Bethlehem herself had no skills whatsoever in shoemaking before entering the footwear business.)

Today, her brand, Solerebels, is one of the world’s top eco-friendly footwear brands. Her shoes are made from hand-woven fabrics, old car tyres and several other recycled materials.

Solerebels became the first footwear company in the world to be certified by the World Free Trade Organisation. Her shoes are in high demand in Europe, North America and have been sold as far away as Japan.

Her idea, which has now become a multi-million dollar footwear brand, was started with borrowed money from friends and family.

Bethlehem, at 35 years old, has been featured several times on Forbes, CNN and the BBC. In 2013, she was listed by Fast Company as one of the ‘100 Most Creative People in Business’.

In April last year, she announced the launch of another company, The Republic of Leather, that will make products to target the luxury leather goods market.

It’s true what they say… success usually leads to more success!

If you're an artistic and creative person, and want to learn more about the opportunities in the footwear business Click here.

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

#1

Patrick Ngowi, Solar Power Millionaire (Tanzania)




Over the last few months, Nigerians have suffered one of the most severe fuel scarcity ordeals ever. Without PHCN and fuel, millions of Nigerians had to endure total darkness.

But how can a country of 180 million people, which receives no less than 325 days of free, God-given sunlight every year, spend billions of Naira annually on electricity bills, petrol and diesel?

What if most Nigerians didn’t have to bother about PHCN or spend their hard-earned money on fuel for generators?

In Tanzania, a country of just over 45 million people, one young entrepreneur has built a multi-million dollar business from solar power.
Patrick Ngowi, who just turned 30 years old, has been featured on CNN, Forbes, BBC and The Huffington Post and was won several awards for the remarkable business he has built in the power sector.

How did he do this?

Just a few years ago, using seed capital of $1,800, which he borrowed from his mother, Patrick started importing solar panels and was installing them in areas which were unconnected to the National grid.

To date, his company has installed solar power systems in hundreds of private homes, public buildings, schools, hospitals and NGO missions across Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. His clients include the United Nations, WHO, The Tanzanian Army and several others.

In 2013 alone, Patrick’s business made over $8 million from the sales and installation of solar power products across East Africa.

Why don’t we have a Patrick in Nigeria yet? Solar power remains a virgin market that Nigeria has barely touched. I’m already looking at solar-powered refrigerator/freezers for the local market.

If you want to find out how to exploit the huge potentials in the solar power business, and read more inspiring success stories like this one, you should read ‘101 Ways To Make Money In Africa’

It’s an amazing book every aspiring Nigerian entrepreneur should read.

To check it out, Click Here.

Watch out for my next favourite inspiring success story.

Update:

Case closed!

Yes, the case is closed!

After the email I sent to the Consumer Protection Council, and copied the top guys in Arik Air (including the Group CEO), I got a call in less than 30 minutes from the Arik Air Group CEO's office (in the UK).

It feels like the guys in the UK office (Arik Air International) are a totally different breed from the guys in Lagos. After the guy from the CEO's office called, I finally got a call from Arik's Customer Care office in Lagos.

As usual, there were profuse apologies and all that.

But the good thing is I got a credit alert just 48 hours after I sent out that email. Can you believe that? A refund process that dragged on for 49 days was resolved in less than 48 hours?

A couple of learning points for everyone:

1) NEVER GIVE UP! I can only imagine the number of refund matters like mine that have been swept under the carpet just because the people involved simply gave up. This is Naija, and you need to show your fangs from time to time to enforce your rights. As long as you work hard for your money, you shouldn't just give up on it. Big companies already have a lot of money. Why should I 'dash' them mine?

2) DON'T FIGHT LIKE A PIG. I remember a few contributions on this thread that suggested I make some physical trouble at the Arik Air Lagos office. Well, this is the 21st century and there's a beast called email and a bigger monster called the internet. I got my refund and the results I wanted without leaving my house. I know some people have physically visited Arik's office (in Lagos and Abuja) and still have no results. The best place to throw punches these days is via emails, social media etc. Don't fight like a pig, you won't get results.

3) GET THE TOP INVOLVED. Most bosses can't really see how business is done at the bottom of their organisations. And most people at the bottom behave 'anyhow' because oga doesn't know what's going on. But when you get oga involved, the 'busy body' phenomenon kicks in, and magically, everyone starts to do their jobs properly.

4) GET A WATCH DOG INVOLVED. By submitting a petition to the Consumer Protection Council, a watchdog, Arik Air had to take action to redeem its corporate image. I'm one of those skeptics who don't believe in, and have little confidence in, the Nigerian public services. But this experience is surely one good point in their favour.

5) BE POLITE. In all your anger, please refrain from expletives like 'stupid', 'foolish', 'nonsense', 'I will deal with you'. We like to use threats and abuses too much in this country. And when you're dealing with corporates, you need to play their own game. Don't give anyone an excuse to dismiss your person.. In all my emails to Arik, I remained polite while showing my fangs. I guessed it all paid off.

So, there it is. The official end of my refund ordeal with Arik. This thread would serve as a reference to anyone, now and in the future, who suffers the same fate. Apply my learning points above and you'll surely get your money back in your pocket.

Arik Air brought back my money...

I don get alert. Godwin!

Cheers,

John-Paul
www.twitter.com/JP_Iwuoha

Update: I used the form on the Consumer Protection Council's website at http://cpc.gov.ng/?page_id=907 to file a petition against Arik Air. I hear the CPC works in Nigeria and I'm about to find out first hand.

I also sent an official email to the CPC at contact@cpc.gov.ng and copied all the people that Leighcon recommended.

I really want to see how Arik Air responds to this.

Fingers crossed.


#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

Day 49

oyb:
http://cpc.gov.ng/

Nigeria's consumer protection council.


They actually work

Really? I'm very glad to hear that.

The only way to find out is to try them. I've just been to the CPC website and it actually has a section for submitting petitions online. I didn't know that this exists.

Well, I shall put the CPC to the test. I will submit my petition and see if it works. I shall share any updates I get from them here so any one who has similar problems now or in the future will benefit from all this documented information about my ordeal with Arik Air.

Thanks for the tip Oyb.

#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

Day 43

bigboss80s:
Arik is slowly becoming a national disgrace. It's rather unfortunate since they used to be one of nigeria's best airlines. But I guess the so-called "Nigerian factor" has kicked in.

You're very right my brother.

This is what we get when there's poor competition. Arik's behavior just reminds me of the arrogance of NITEL back in the day. I don't think it's a Nigerian factor thing. I think it's a market factor thing. If the industry were more competitive, all these monopolistic tendencies would simply not exist.

#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

Day 43

vega84:
Brother I advise u storm their office and make some serious noise @least if it gets to that slap one staff,cos as u can see water don pass garri already! #vegatalks

True talk, my brother. Water really don pass garri.

There's just one big problem I have with the strategy you've suggested.

"When you fight with a pig, both of you get dirty. But the pig likes it."

The main people who should be slapped are hiding behind desks in their big offices. No need to slap the poor guys at the bottom. This battle is for the guys at the top.

Thanks all the same bro. I really appreciate it.

#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

Soyedele1:


Customise a jersey or any short(round neck) and writely boldly 'ARIK, WHERE IS MY MONEY' or 'ARIK ARE SCAMMERS'. Take a walk to MMIA n take pictures of it n spread.

Thank me later lol

Very creative perspective. I'll add it to my bag of surprises for this campaign.

Thanks brother.

#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

officialarab:
mine is since may 1st. I paid online n yet arik hasn't refunded my almost 130k for cancelled flights. bin going to their office in transcorp Hilton abuja every week. arik is just so irresponsible. their problem is they don't have competitors. if they do, they won't be doing all this rubbish.

Really? This is just unacceptable!

They can hold on to my money but I will never close my mouth until my hard-earned money is back in my pocket. I can't believe an organisation this big is getting away with customer neglect in this modern age.

Well, I plan to remain as vocal and stubborn as Madam Oby Ezekwesili of Bring Back Our Girls until Arik Air brings back my money!

#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

obailala:

I'm very sure they would respond to you quickly as you have taken this publicly on social media. A friend of mine had a similar situation with Airtel but after several ignored emails and phone calls, she took the campaign to twitter. After lambasting the Airtel twitter handle with less than 15 tweets, the irresponsible people had to call her and settled her case within hours.

Customer care in Nigeria is just shit and these companies act like this because they know Nigerians hardly even have a better alternative.

Thank you my brother.

One interesting thing I've noticed is that Arik Air Nigeria is not on Twitter. Can you imagine that?

Any business that has the guts to snub social media must be a monopoly in the strictest sense of the word. Well, I see they have an Arik Air UK handle. I believe they're more discerning with the foreign market because they want to significantly grow their international business.

Maybe it's time to blow this out of Nigeria and let the world really know how frustrated they've made me. Customer service that's this poor should not be condoned anywhere in the world.

They've ignored my private emails but I'm interested to see how they'll snub public opinion.

#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

leighcon:
Your experience is not different from mine OP....Arik is somewhat an irresponsible organisation when it comes to handling customers' complaints. I had over 40 email exchanges with them at a time to get my own money back.

Bring in the Consumer Protection Council - contact (at) cpc.gov.ng; cpc.lagos (at) yahoo.co.uk. Also bring in their following people (Not like I consider anyone of them responsible as well though.);

Abiola Shodiya <abiola.shodiya@arikair.com>
Prince Ahuchaogu <Prince.Ahuchaogu@arikair.com>
Louis Okonye <Louis.Okonye@arikair.com>

My permutation for Michael's email is also as follows, one of them must hit;

Michael.Arumemi-Ikhide@arikair.com,
Michael.Arumemi_Ikhide@arikair.com,
Michael.Arumemi@arikair.com,
Michael.Ikhide@arikair.com,
Michael@arikair.com

I wish you best of luck.

Bros, thanks a big bunch for the invaluable information. I'm ready to send out 1,000 emails if that's what is required to get their attention. Paying lip service to customer complaints is suicidal in any business. I'm actually surprised there are lots of people who have similar experiences.

Well, I'm glad the internet is documenting all of this. One day, they will have to pay for their indiscretions.

Thanks again bro. I really appreciate this.

And if you're one of the 'affected', please join this movement to get our money back from these bullies. Join the #ArikAirBringBackMyMoney protest march.

For one. For all.

Rich4god:
I dey ur back...
Arik Air #bringbackhismoney....

No forget to pay me tithe when they refund you...

Yes oo... I sweat for my money. If them wan use my money as working capital, at least they need my permission first. And they won't get it by ignoring and disrespecting me.

Join the movement. Help to spread #ArikAirBringBackMyMoney on Twitter

Escalze:
Arik Air?



Forget it.

Bros, I no go fit forget this one ooo... They chose the wrong person to owe. I must collect my money!

Join the campaign on Twitter: #ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

On 31st March 2015, I bought an Arik Air ticket for a trip to Douala, Cameroun on the 24th of April 2015. I was travelling for an important seminar for which I was the Guest Speaker. So, it was imperative to travel on that date (April 24) to avoid any ‘surprises’.

Fast forward to 16th April 2015, I received an email from Arik Air’s Customer Relations informing me that the flight I booked and fully paid for would depart on 25th April; 24 hours later than I planned. As is often the case, ‘operational reasons’ was the preferred excuse.

I was grateful for the advance notice; at least I had enough time to make an alternative arrangement. So, I called Arik Air to cancel my booking and I was promised a full refund within 7 to 21 days. Please take note of this promise.

Seeing that I wouldn’t get the cash refund in time to make a booking with another airline, I had to pay again for the same trip, despite my tight cash situation at the time.

I ended up travelling with Camair-Co, Cameroun’s national airline. I think their service, despite a few delays, is quite remarkable. I still wonder why I didn’t choose them earlier. But that’s another story.

So, to request for a refund, I was asked by the Customer Service Rep to send a formal request to arik.refunds@arikair.com

Since that initial request for refund, I have sent THREE more follow-up emails. I never got any replies; not even one to acknowledge receipt of my emails, as any courteous and customer-centric organisation would do.

To follow up with my refund request, I have called Arik Air’s Customer Service desk SEVEN times! Infact, I was given a phone number to call the Refunds department directly. That number never works. I know because I have called it at different times of the day, via all the networks, and the number is out of use at best.

I was also asked to send another email to the Refunds department and copy the Call Centre Supervisor at callcentre.supervisor@arikair.com. Once more, I sent another email as advised but nothing changed; I got the same cold shoulder treatment.

The last straw that broke my back was the call I made to the Customer Service desk today, 42 days after I formally requested for a refund. After narrating my bitter ordeal to the Rep, she asked me to visit the Arik office on Lagos Mainland to follow-up with my request.

What nonsense! ‘Travel’ all the way from Lekki to physically claim a refund for a payment I made via an electronic channel (online)? Are we back to 1984 or what?

Why would Arik Air, in spite of today’s modern tools of communication (telephone and email), allow customers to show up at its offices to claim refunds? Has Arik Air’s operations degenerated to such lows of inefficiency and ineptitude?

In my experience, the vital feedback loops in Arik Air’s Customer Service function are broken. I have literally exhausted every option, from a customer’s perspective, to seek redress in this matter. This clearly indicates a serious dysfunction that needs to be fixed within Arik Air’s customer relations, if it really plans to become Africa’s biggest airline.

As I have run out of options to address this matter directly with Arik Air, I have resolved to take it to the court of public opinion and any organisation whose mission is to protect consumer rights in Nigeria.

As a customer, I reserve the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Under the law, I deserve to be refunded in full for a service I paid for but did not consume. As a Nigerian citizen, I expect my consumer rights to be upheld and protected.

Arik Air has not kept its promise to refund me within 7 to 21 days. Arik Air has caused me to spend time, effort, telephone bills and mental resources on a customer service function that has failed to live up to its ideals – satisfied customers.

I refuse to join the category of Nigerians who have been short-changed and silenced by the apparent lack of compassion by big corporates in this country. It’s time to start fixing the huge customer relations inefficiencies that pervade most industries in Nigeria.

Everybody knows that good customer service is good for business. If we can get Arik Air to fix this, all Nigerians would be better off. After all, the airline owes its success to the loyalty and patronage of Nigerians. I desperately hope that they listen to this.

Before the days of the internet and social media, it was almost impossible for complaints from invisible Nigerians like me to reach the public domain.

Since I have been largely ignored by the airline, I shall use the revolutionary powers of social media to get its attention, seek redress and cause change.

Like most things on social media that eventually go viral, this is just a spark. For now.

The campaign has begun and the count continues…

#ArikAirBringBackMyMoney

Day 42

For one, and for all…

John-Paul

SAMPLE BUSINESS PLANS AND TEMPLATES (3)

9. Equipment Rental Sales Business Plan
Equipment Rental, Inc. (ER) is a company that sells and rents heavy equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, excavators, and trenchers as well as small home use and construction equipment such as tillers, augers, and chain saws. Click here to read full Business Plan


10. Building Construction Business Plan
Concrete Installation LLC [/i]plans to become the leading provider of concrete formwork services in the area. This means always having the best and most efficient facilities, processes, and people. Click here to read full Business Plan


11. Construction Repair Business Plan
[i]HodgePodge Sealcoating Company is a service provider that offers crack filling and sealcoating to residential customers. Sealcoating protects asphalt driveways by filling the cracks and coating the surface of the driveway, protecting it against the weather. Click here to read full Business Plan


12. Computer Consulting Business Plan
Calico Computer Consulting (CCC) shall provide fast and reliable technical assistance to small office computer users. The keys to success for CCC are marketing and networking, responsiveness, quality, and generating repeat customers. Click here to read full Business Plan


More sample business plans to follow soon.

DAY 8 - Biogas Production



Recent studies estimate that over 80 percent of African households (especially in rural areas) still depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking their daily meals.

For those who can afford it, kerosene and cooking gas are the next best options. However, due to rapid deforestation in many parts of Africa, firewood and charcoal are becoming increasingly scarce. The rising prices of kerosene and cooking gas make them less affordable every day.

Have you ever heard of biogas? It's amazing! It's a new kind of fuel that can be produced from your own toilet. Yes, we can now produce cooking gas for our kitchen from those things you've been flushing down the toilet!

Biogas refers to a mixture of gases produced by the decay or fermentation of organic waste (like sewage, kitchen waste, animal manure, food scraps and plant material). When all of this organic waste is allowed to decay in the absence of oxygen, methane, carbon dioxide and some other gases are produced. Methane is the most important of all the produced gases because it is a very valuable fuel. Methane is a popular natural gas that is used for heating, lighting and cooking purposes in the home.

We produce (and waste) large volumes of biogas everyday without even knowing it. Every time you flush the toilet after use or wash kitchen dirt down the drain, you are wasting the valuable raw materials needed to produce biogas. All that waste probably ends up in an underground sewage pit where (sometimes) biogas is produced and wasted to the atmosphere. This gas could have been channeled back into the kitchen and used to cook food and boil water. This gas could have saved you hundreds of Naira spent every year on charcoal, firewood, kerosene and cooking gas.

As you will find out when you read the full article, a household of six people (father, mother and four children) can produce enough biogas to last for up to 3 hours of cooking everyday!

In this article, you will learn about biogas; what it is and how it’s produced. You will also understand why it has such a huge potential in Africa and how entrepreneurs like you can take advantage of it.

Ready? Here's the article: Biogas – How This Common but Underexplored Cooking Fuel is Changing Lives in Africa

Enjoy!

#4 - Fruits & Fruit Juice Concentrates



The global market for fruit and vegetable juices is growing fast and is forecast to exceed 70 billion liters by the year 2017. This rapid growth is driven by a rising customer preference for healthy drinks (like fruit juices) over soft drinks (such as carbonated drinks – like Coke and Pepsi). There is also a rising demand for organic, super fruit and 100 percent natural fruit juices without any sweeteners and preservatives. This means that nowadays, producers require more raw fruits to make a glass of juice.

The amazing thing is, more than 70 percent of fruits consumed in the world are tropical fruits. Oranges, pineapples, mangoes, paw-paw etc. They all grow naturally and abundantly in many parts of Africa, which largely has a tropical climate.

The fast rising demand for tropical fruit juices is making fruit juice manufacturers around the world to look to Africa for reliable supplies of fruit juice concentrates for the growing fruit juice markets in North America and Europe.

Despite the huge advantage that Africa has in fruit production, millions of dollars worth of fruits waste and go rotten every year on the continent. In fact, despite being a major producer of oranges, fruit juice manufacturers in Nigeria still spend millions of dollars every year to import orange juice concentrates from abroad.


One company in Sierra Leone is already exploiting the lucrative potentials of fruits. Africa Felix Juice is a Sierra Leone-based company that produces fruit juice concentrates from mangoes and pineapples that are harvested across the country. The company buys mangoes from more than 4,000 small farmers in Sierra Leone. It collects the fruits and takes them to its processing facility where they are processed (sorted, washed and crushed) into juice concentrates, the main ingredient for making fruit juices.

By buying fruits from small farmers, the company is creating value from millions of mangoes that otherwise rot away and go to waste every year. The company’s mango and pineapple juice concentrates are mainly exported to Europe where they are used to make fruit juices and flavorings for the food industry. These concentrates were the first major export from Sierra Leone since it came out from a devastating civil war nearly ten years ago.

If you'd like to learn more about the amazing potentials of the fruits business, check out the following article:

Tropical fruits – Africa’s real diamonds are not hidden in the ground; they’re hanging in the trees!

How can you key into the multi-million dollar raw fruits and fruit juice concentrates market? That's a million dollar question for Nigerian entrepreneurs!

BUSINESS PLAN SAMPLES AND TEMPLATES (2)

6. Painting Contractors Business Plan
Barnum Painters will provide top-quality interior and exterior residential and commercial painting services. We believe that most companies in this industry suffer two major problems : poor scheduling of job projects and poor retention of quality employees. We intend to change the way these are done and excel in both areas. Click Here to read full Business Plan


7. Home Interior Design Business Plan
Hamlin and Park Design offers a wide range of interior design services to meet any client's needs in our business area. Our services include: On-site consultations; Project survey & analysis; Space planning & furniture arrangement; Design concepts; Finishes & furnishings; and Custom designs. Click Here to read full Business Plan


8. Furniture Manufacturer Business Plan
Trestle Creek Cabinets will be formed as a cabinet company specializing in custom cabinets for the high-end residential, resort, and commercial market. Its founders have extensive experience in the construction and cabinet industry. Click Here to read full Business Plan