Lagos – A software expert, Mr Abiodun Animashaun, on Tuesday appealed to the Federal Government to create an enabling environment in the country for Information Technology (IT) start-ups and developers to thrive.
Animashaun, who is the Managing Director, Braintech Nigeria Ltd., told the News Agency of Nigeria NAN) in Lagos that the IT industry would really benefit from policies that encouraged investment.
“My company as an IT start-up that is not well known is a good example of a developing firm that wants to thrive.
“Our vision is not to brag about our technical skills or proficiencies, what is really of concern to us are the policies formulated by government that can enable our growth.
“Investing in business and exploring different options which abound in the country are not really encouraged in Nigeria because the environment is very harsh with rigid policies.
“Our biggest challenge has been access to capital in form of loans from financial institutions and government,’’ he said.
The software expert said that other factors militating against the development of startups, apart from finance were the high import duties and influx of substandard products into the country.
He lamented the present harsh economic climate, saying it had resulted in minimal investments in business in Nigeria of late.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
According to Animashaun, Nigeria has a lot of IT talents who were unable to showcase their abilities and survive due to the lack of support from government and individuals.
He said that his company, which had been in existence for the last five years, was still trying to find its feet in the industry due to lack of support.
“Though it is surprising but it is a fact that in Nigeria, every new day, a new tech business is being started or conceived.
“However, the distressing part of the news is that only five per cent of all new businesses last a two year operational period.
“This record is not encouraging at all, the industry needs attention,’’ the software expert said.
Animashaun said that his company, Braintech Nigeria Ltd. was triumphing over all odds in the Nigerian business landscape.
“We aim at building businesses and economic solutions using technology as a weapon or architecture on which the success of the business rests.
“Some of our businesses that are thriving well to becoming global brands include DeliveryBros.com, an on-demand delivery company.
“At Braintech, we facilitate three hours express pickup and drop off options for over 500 retailers and sellers on major marketplaces like Konga.com, kaymu.com.ng, Jumia.com.ng and also OLX .com.ng,” he added.
The software expert told NAN that the business had built an indigenous agro-retail marketplace that allowed consumers to save about 60 per cent of their foodstuff expenses by buying fresh farm produce.
“Our technology aggregates farm produce from over 1000 farmers nationwide and is made available for purchase to Nigerians through AwoofBox.com,’’ he said. (NAN)