Rotimi Oyekanmi

My favourite fiction author is John Grisham. While not a lawyer, his books give insights into what happens in real life that we most times cannot comprehend. I have read all his books and they usually are based on real life situations which shows how complex the world is and can be. Problem is that with Apis, one doesn’t have much time to read anything that’s not Apis related however I try to get some reading while traveling (either on the plane or while waiting in airport lounges).

The poem Ithaca by the poet Kavafis – Using Odysseus’ long and eventful return journey from Troy, Kavafis signifies the importance of the journey of life and notes that as we try to achieve our goals, it is important to not lose sight of the journey. This journey is what offers us wisdom and makes us rich in experiences, knowledge and maturity to overcome obstacles.

My real passion over the last 3 years has been how to understand what is stopping the deepening of financial inclusion in Nigeria. In a bid to understand this, I have attracted a few friends into an informal grouping to drive our understanding of the challenges. This group include CEO National Switch in Nigeria, CEO Nigeria’s 3rd largest mobile operator, CEO Nigeria’s Bank of Industry, CEO Nigeria’s largest online retail business, CEO, Nigeria’s largest insurance Company and 2 Professors from the Lagos Business School. Our work is based on empirical evidence supported by data from the businesses involved. Very open discussions and we should be publishing our findings and our intention is to present this to the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Vice President of Nigeria.

Investment in Growth Markets has very many facets to it. First there is the investment returns aspect but there is the social impact aspect which in my view is just as important to the development of Growth Markets. During my previous professional life, I was fortunate to have been involved in a National program established by the Central Bank of Nigeria which was to provide equity funding for SMEs. What became clear was the need to provide support to the management of the SMEs because their primary problem was not funding as they claimed. My involvement with SMEs which I invested in demonstrated that SMEs and businesses in Growth Markets can make better returns if they have adequate information about their industry, knowledge about where to find the skills which can be transferred to locals as well understanding the key drivers of their businesses.