Obed: It’s the day before Nigerians 62nd independence anniversary. I know you are expecting to hear the voice of Bekeme, Bekeme cannot be here today but we are here. I have T. I with me. T. I how are you doing?
Taiwo: Hi, everyone, I’m good thank you
Obed: How are you looking forward to the independence celebration?
Taiwo: Well, let’s see. I’m excited at least 62
Obed: Are you happy to be a Nigerian?
Taiwo: I am. Just maybe
Obed: We have special guests in the studio as well, and I hope they love Nigeria. I’m sure they do because it’s showing your faces. We have Nee Joo Teh. Nee, Good evening welcome to our studio and we also have Babar Javed. Welcome.
Babar Javed: Thank you. I felt most welcome since the moment I walked into Nigeria.
Obed: You will enjoy the country very much, sir. We have good weather
Babar Javed: Yeah, very nice rain.
Obed: Everything is nice. Welcome to the program. So, the Good Citizen Show today TI you are going to let us into what we are doing today.
Taiwo: Yeah. So, as you know, the show is about value system reorientation. We always talk to everyone on taking steps as individuals and taking partnerships as well for national development. And so today we are talking about collaboration. We’re talking about using open innovation to expand global partnership. We’re leveraging on our global partnership to build and grow sustainable businesses here in Nigeria. So, we’ll be speaking today with innovative UK KTM, an organization that exists to connect innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing reach in order to convert ideas into real world solutions. We have here with me Babar Javed is the Open Innovation Lead of Global Alliance Africa. Africa is an innovation and sustainability lead with 25 years of diverse experience managing complex projects globally. And we have Nee Joo Teh, he is the Head KTN Global Alliance Africa, who has over 20 years of experience in innovation and strategic program. Welcome, guys.
Babar & Nee: Thank you.
Obed: Okay, so we’ll go to the questions really quickly, because time is not really our friend. We’re talking this so very quickly; you will decide who takes the question we ask. So, the first question is one of the visions of Global Alliance Africa is actually to deliver a scalable impact and sustainable economies. Can you just tell us briefly a little bit more about your organization and how your service work in building a successful support system for businesses high goals.
Babar: Thank you. So let me tell you a little bit more about innovation. We are the UK’s National Innovation Network within our national agency, which is Innovate UK. Now, our primary role is really straightforward. We are here to support the commercialization of research and innovation to drive economic growth and international partnerships for the UK. Equally important though, is our commitment to support our UK objectives on sustainable international development through innovation. Our work here in Africa is through Globalized Africa Project in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa in particular. We really aim to support the development of stronger innovation ecosystems and also about building stronger UK and Africa collaborations to really enhance more self-economy in the future, but also to look at meeting the current and future socioeconomic challenges. Now we work across the spectrum per se in terms of stakeholders, from policymakers all the way to advanced businesses, both small and big companies.
Obed: We have more than 14 million SMEs in Nigeria. And of course, when you talk about business, you talk about scalability. And innovation is one thing you can toy when you’re talking about business. So, can you tell us what using open innovation to expand global partnership entails for businesses, especially for Nigerians in Nigeria?
Nee: Yeah, I can take that. So just the concept of open innovation in case any listeners on to where many companies and organizations innovate, they have innovation teams, they have innovation plans and projects. But the concept of open innovation means you should search much more widely. The solutions you are looking for may exist in places and in industries you’re not even aware of. So, what open innovation does, and my role here is to help find Nigerian companies that have technical challenges that they’re finding hard to solve. Kind of things that give them headaches, that they think, we wish we could find a solution, but they haven’t been able to find them. So, what we do is we find the companies, we call them challenge holders and we work with them to develop a business challenge. And then we launched that as an international competition. And we really love when African companies apply. So African entrepreneurs, SMEs, academics, start-ups, they will then provide their solutions and also UK and international of commercializing their solution and also, we provide all kinds of support to them as well to help ensure a positive outcome.
Obed: So, before TI takes the next question, I want to be sure I heard you correctly. You’re going to have like a hub, you’re looking for Nigerian businesses and entrepreneurs with problems, looking for solutions, and then there’s going to be a connection to those solutions because this program is live in the moment, I’m going to ask that they call because I can tell you, you’re going to be in on data before. So, the number to call us just as TI will ask as the third question is 0709-2392-3923. Or you can send us a WhatsApp message on 0817-313-6193 Especially if you’re a Nigerian businessman and a company, you have business and you have hiccups, you have problems with innovation, you have international solution waiting for you in the show here.
Taiwo: Okay, so would your business support service to every region in Nigeria and would the proposed partnership extend to international businesses as well?
Babar: Yes, definitely. I’m thanking Tiara for the question. We work at national level as well as regional level. I mean, just a few examples. This week we launched an Open Innovation Challenge with a national company here in Lagos looking at recycling of lithium-ion batteries, which is actually an inherent problem in Nigeria. At the same time, we are also working with the agriculture industry in Ekiti State to understand where we could actually bring value into the local challenges for the farmers. So, in terms of what we’re looking for, essentially either large corporations within the supply chain, national level, or local level, as well as working with public sector organization. So actually, in our project, we are really committed to try to promote inclusive development outside of primary cities and capitals.
Obed: Okay. We’re Nigerians in this part of the world who have trust issues. Sometimes Nigerians like to see, what have you done? I mean, where you’re coming from? Do you have, like, success stories? Do you have people that you have helped in the time pass that people can say, okay, the point of that and say, you’ve done it before, so can trust these guys?
Nee: Yeah, I’ll take that. Absolutely. We’ve been running what we call the Innovation Exchange Program for about five or six years now. We have 150 successful challenges that we’ve helped to solve where people have come with their technical challenges, and we found them solution providers, and they’ve collaborated together to run pilot projects and then to develop that solution further. We’ve also run seven so far in because we launched, as Nigel mentioned, we launched two yesterday with Hinkley Recycling, which is a company based in Lagos to help find solutions to recycle lithium-ion batteries. And we’ve run seven other challenges as well. We’ve run them with Unilever in South Africa looking at refilling and reusing plastic packaging. We’ve also run several in Kenya as well with a company called Flamingo Horticulture that have problems with pests in their chili crops. We found them various technical and biochemical solutions. So, we have a very good track record. Like I said, we’ve run probably over 150 now across all different industry sectors, including the nuclear sector, the waste sector, the water sector, all different kind of industrial sectors, because we have a team of experts back in the UK, team of very clever people who are real experts in their fields, and we have the benefit of their support and guidance on projects.
Obed: So, we’re ready to go to the phone lines now 07092-392-3923, that’s the number to call. It’s the good citizen show. Captain Smart, my name and TI is here today, and we have visitors in the studio. And they’re going to be like a hub, like a link. Especially if you’re a businessman, you’re an entrepreneur, you have technical hiccups, you’re looking for technical solutions or some kind of a help to overcome those problems. You can call us now. Want to tell us the name of our guest here today?
Taiwo: Oh, yes, we’re we actually have three of them, but two of them on the radio. Yes, on the radio we have Babar Javed he is the Open Innovation Lead Global Alliance Africa and like I said, is an innovation and sustainability expert with over 25 years of experience. We also have Nee Joo Teh; he is the founder of KTN Global Alliance Africa with over 20 years of experience in innovation and strategic program.
Obed: So, you can send us a message in case you can get through to the phone line 0817-313-6193. Send a message on WhatsApp and we’ll get to read it here. Or you can call us now. Just join live on the telephone 0700923923923. Collaboration is important, if you’re doing business, you can go all alone. We will go to the phone lines in just a moment, but we’ll just take a short break. When we return, we’ll go straight to the phone line to take your questions. Our international partners are here. I’ll call him to give you the answers. But first let’s take the word from our sponsors will be right back.
Obed: Welcome back to the show. Captain Smart is my name and I have TI here. Okay we have a caller now. Hello, Good evening to you. Welcome. Tell us your name and where you’re calling us from. Okay. All right, go ahead. This is what CSR-in-Action is doing with our partners to actually help Nigerian entrepreneurs, businesspeople who are looking, who have technical issues, really. And there’s help on the table. I was going to ask you what’s in it for you?
Babar: What’s in it for us? We’re fully funded by the British government and it’s part of our international program of foreign aid and also just generally promoting business and innovation both in the UK and in Africa and building collaborations. The benefit is when we connect different companies together, whether they be African companies or British companies or some combination. Obviously, there’s great things we can do together. I mean we follow the principles of the triple bottom line in case viewers don’t know something that’s good for profit, so there’s commercial value, something that’s good for people, such as job creation, poverty reduction and also environmental benefits as well. So, the brand that’s the three pieces, they call them people, planet, and profit. And so, we aim for benefits in all three of those areas. So, we’re being basically good global citizens.
Obed: All right. Hello, good evening to you. Welcome. Tell us your name, where you’re calling from. Good evening to you.
Caller: This is really beautiful. I just wanted to confirm though, it said only if you have technical issues, is that true?
Babar: Yeah, technical issues has quite a broad meaning. I guess it’s any kind of issue of a technical nature that you require some expertise to solve. I need you to add anything to that.
Caller: My problem it’s not a technical issue or mobility. So, I do recycle where you pick the plastics and all that, but the issue we have in now is that picking up from the different culprits because the corporate would love for them to be pick up. So, we’re looking for a hub. So, the issue I have is actually the mobility to be able to pick up the things for the different locations and actually move them to a hub. I don’t know if it’s something that they’ll be willing to work with me to achieve.
Babar: Well, the challenge we just launched at the moment and if you could go to our website, maybe this business and also the network that we have as well, so we might be able to connect you with some useful people.
Obed: Potentially I think you should just keep listening. We’re going to have to ask them at the end of the show to leave a contact number, email, or something. So, people who may want to ask for the questions outside of the show can also do that.
Caller: Beautiful, thank you so much. You’re welcome.
Obed: Thank you so much. The number to call once again 0700923923923 or you can just send us a message of WhatsApp 08173136193. You have the next question. Yes.
Taiwo: Thank you Barbara for that wonderful explanation. So, I wanted to ask how would you identify an area that is innovative enough to be worthy of development and investment. Somebody has called now to say that she is in the recycling business. What other innovative idea, how would you know that this idea is worthy of development and investment?
Babar: So, the way we work is we tend to be led by challenges and opportunities. We look at some of the key policy drivers in the country, but at the same time at state level we understand some of the challenges that potentially the communities are facing. And equally we have also worked with large corporations in the supply chains where they understand also key challenges in the product or service development cycle. So, our work tends to be led by opportunities and challenges. Now as part of our commitment to UK aids objectives.
Taiwo: Good evening, what’s your name and where are you calling from?
Obed: Okay, please go ahead with your thought.
Babar: Sorry, I was just emphasizing that from our commitment with the UK objectives, we also look at why the social economic impacts such as climate change and inclusive poverty reduction and inclusive economic development to other areas as well. So that really is a combination that helped to define what our decisions is on taking some of the challenges forward as potential topics that we could actually put UK public sector money as an investment.
Obed: Okay. Because of time constraint like the other caller asked, I’m sure people would like to know where to go to get more information. Is it a telephone number, an email address, a website? How they can actually get more details about how to be part of what you’re seeing here. Sure.
Nee: I think the best thing to do would be to go to our website because that has a huge amount of information and also the ability to contact us as well directly through the website. So, the website is Ktn/UK.org. So, there’s information on all of our programs, our interventions, goals, and objectives, and also funding rounds that are available as well to various companies, depending on which industries they work in. And also, as I mentioned, contact details also.
Obed: Okay, let’s see if we can squeeze any call before we leave. Hello, good evening.
Caller: Hello. Good evening.
Obed: Okay, you heard there. So, if you’re a Nigerian business, this is not just about maybe technical. You need to get more details. You can go on to that website as announced by our guest here. Get more details, ask questions. Sometimes people don’t know that there are some kind of assistance they can get with helping the businesses, especially international assistance of this nature. And we must have to thank you for making yourself available to do this. I mean, the United Kingdom, great ally of Nigeria, and it’s so good to know that they are interested in helping Nigerian businesses and entrepreneurs grow. TI some final comments?
Taiwo: Yes, I was going to say thank you so much for this session. It was really enlightened. And I think it’s something new, something fresh for Nigerian businesses to look forward to. And I’m sure that in no time you will have your mailbox full of a lot of inquiries and requests. I was going to mention that you listeners at home, please follow our Instagram page at Good Citizenship to get more information to be updated in case of anything. Also follow Bekeme (@Bekemeo) for more. In the coming months we are going to be having grants so follow the page for the next grant coming up.
I hope you have all learnt from the discussion. This show was brought to you by CSR-in-Action, proudly sponsored by ACT Foundation lets continue to be light and hope to one another. Captain Smart do you have something to say?
Obed: Well, it is just to thank our guest this evening on the program. I hope you continue to enjoy the country before you jet back. Nee Joo Teh, thank you for coming on the show today.
Nee: Thank you for having us
Obed: Babar Javed and also the third guest who couldn’t come on the radio show thank you also for coming. That’s our show, the Good Citizen Show, we would return next Friday at 5:30pm, join us at that time.
