Wednesday, October 30, 2013

STATISTIC PROCEES CONTROL

Statistical process control (SPC) is a method of quality control which uses statistical methods. SPC is applied in order to monitor and control a process. Monitoring and controlling the process ensures that it operates at its full potential. At its full potential, the process can make as much conforming product as possible with a minimum (if not an elimination) of waste (rework or trash). SPC can be applied to any process where the "conforming product" (product meeting specifications) output can be measured. Key tools used in SPC include control charts; a focus on continuous improvement; and the design of experiments. An example of a process where SPC is applied is manufacturing lines.

Overview

Objective analysis of variation

SPC must be practiced in 2 phases: The first phase is the initial establishment of the process, and the second phase is the regular production use of the process. In the second phase, we need to decide the period to be examined, depending upon the change in 4-M conditions and wear rate of parts used in the manufacturing process (machine parts, Jigs and fixture and tooling standard).

Emphasis on early detection

An advantage of SPC over other methods of quality control, such as "inspection", is that it emphasizes early detection and prevention of problems, rather than the correction of problems after they have occurred.

Increasing rate of production

In addition to reducing waste, SPC can lead to a reduction in the time required to produce the product. SPC makes it less likely the finished product will need to be reworked. SPC may also identify bottlenecks, waiting times, and other sources of delays within the process.

Limitations

SPC is applied to reduce or eliminate process waste. This, in turn, eliminates the need for the process step of post-manufacture inspection. The success of SPC relies not only on the skill with which it is applied, but also on how suitable or amenable the process is to SPC. In some cases, it may be difficult to judge when the application of SPC is appropriate.^{[citation needed]}

History

SPC was pioneered by Walter A. Shewhart at Bell Laboratories in the early 1920s. Shewhart developed the control chart in 1924 and the concept of a state of statistical control. Statistical control is equivalent to the concept of exchangeability^[1]^[2] developed by logician William Ernest Johnson also in 1924 in his book Logic, Part III: The Logical Foundations of Science.^[3] Along with a gifted team at AT&T that included Harold Dodge and Harry Romig he worked to put sampling inspection on a rational statistical basis as well. Shewhart consulted with Colonel Leslie E. Simon in the application of control charts to munitions manufacture at the Army's Picatinney Arsenal in 1934. That successful application helped convince Army Ordnance to engage AT&T's George Edwards to consult on the use of statistical quality control among its divisions and contractors at the outbreak of World War II. W. Edwards Deming invited Shewhart to speak at the Graduate School of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and served as the editor of Shewhart's book Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control (1939) which was the result of that lecture. Deming was an important architect of the quality control short courses that trained American industry in the new techniques during WWII. The graduates of these wartime courses formed a new professional society in 1945, the American Society for Quality Control, which elected Edwards as its first president. Deming traveled to Japan during the Allied Occupation and met with the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers(JUSE)in an effort to introduce SPC methods to Japanese industry .^[4]^[5]

"Common" and "special" sources of variation

Main article: Common cause and special cause (statistics)

Shewhart read the new statistical theories coming out of Britain, especially the work of "Student", Karl Pearson, and R. A. Fisher. However, he understood that data from physical processes seldom produced a "normal distribution curve"; that is, a Gaussian distribution or "bell curve". He discovered that data from measurements of variation in manufacturing did not always behave the way as data from measurements of natural phenomena (for example, Brownian motion of particles). Shewhart concluded that while every process displays variation, some processes display variation that is controlled and natural to the process ("common" sources of variation). Other processes display variation that is not controlled and that is not present in the causal system of the process at all times ("special" sources of variation).^[6]

Application to non-manufacturing processes

In 1988, the Software Engineering Institute suggested that SPC could be applied to non-manufacturing processes, such as software engineering processes, in the Capability Maturity Model (CMM). The Level 4 and Level 5 practices of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) use this concept. The notion that SPC is a useful tool when applied to non-repetitive, knowledge-intensive processes such as engineering has encountered skepticism and remains controversial.^[7]^[8]

Variation in manufacturing

In mass-manufacturing, traditionally, the quality of a finished article is ensured by post-manufacturing inspection of the product. Each article (or a sample of articles from a production lot) may be accepted or rejected according to how well it meets its design specifications. In contrast, SPC uses statistical tools to observe the performance of the production process in order to predict significant variations which may result in the production of a sub-standard article. A sources of variation at any one point of a production process will fall into one of two classes.

1) "Common" - sometimes referred to as "normal" or "chance" sources of variation and

2) "Assignable" - sometimes referred to as "special" sources of variation.

Most processes have many sources of variation; most of them are minor and may be ignored. If the dominant sources of variation are identified, however, resources for change can be focused on them. If the dominant assignable sources of variation can be detected, potentially they can be identified and removed. Once removed, the process is said to be "stable". When a process is stable, its variation should remain within a known set of limits. That is, at least, until another assignable source of variation is introduced. For example, a breakfast cereal packaging line may be designed to fill each cereal box with 500 grams of cereal. Some boxes will have slightly more than 500 grams, and some will have slightly less. When package weight is measured, the data will demonstrate a distribution of net weights. If the production process, its inputs, or its environment (for example, the machines on the line) change, the distribution of the data will change. For example, as the cams and pulleys of the machinery wear, the cereal filling machine may put more than the specified amount of cereal into each box. Although this might benefit the customer, from the manufacturer's point of view, this is wasteful and increases the cost of production. If the manufacturer finds the change and its source in a timely manner, the change can be corrected (for example, the cams and pulleys replaced).

Application of SPC

The application of SPC involves three main sets of activities:
1. The first is understanding of the process. This is achieved by business process mapping. 2. The second is measuring the sources of variation assisted by the use of control charts and 3. The third is eliminating assignable (special) sources of variation.

Control charts

The data from measurements of variations at points on the process map is monitored using control charts. Control charts can differentiate "assignable" ("special") sources of variation from "common" sources. "Common" sources, because they are an expected part of the process, are of much less concern to the manufacturer than "assignable" sources. Using control charts is a continuous activity, ongoing over time.

Stable process

When the process does not trigger any of the control chart "detection rules" for the control chart, it is said to be "stable". A process capability analysis may be performed on a stable process to predict the ability of the process to produce "conforming product" in the future.

Excessive variation

When the process triggers any of the control chart "detection rules", (or alternatively, the process capability is low), other activities may be performed to identify the source of the excessive variation. The tools used in these extra activities include: Ishikawa diagrams, designed experiments, and Pareto charts. Designed experiments are critical to this phase of the application of SPC. They are a means of objectively quantifying the relative importance (strength) of sources of variation. Once the sources of variation have been quantified, those sources that are both statistically and practically significant can be eliminated. (A source that is statistically significant may not be considered cost effective to eliminate.) Methods of eliminating a source of variation might include: development of standards; staff training; error-proofing and changes to the process itself or its inputs.

Mathematics of control charts

Digital control charts use logic based rules that determine "derived values" which signal the need for correction. For example,

derived value = last value + average absolute difference between the last N numbers.

References

Jump up ^ Barlow & Irony (1992)
Jump up ^ Bergman (2009)
Jump up ^ Zabell (1992)
Jump up ^ Deming, W. Edwards, Lectures on statistical control of quality., Nippon Kagaku Gijutsu Remmei, 1950
Jump up ^ Deming, W. Edwards and Dowd S. John (translator) Lecture to Japanese Management, Deming Electronic Network Web Site, 1950 (from a Japanese transcript of a lecture by Deming to "80% of Japanese top management" given at the Hotel de Yama at Mr. Hakone in August 1950)
Jump up ^ "Why SPC?" British Deming Association SPC Press, Inc. 1992
Jump up ^ Bob Raczynski and Bill Curtis (2008) Software Data Violate SPC's Underlying Assumptions, IEEE Software, May/June 2008, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 49-51
Jump up ^ Robert V. Binder (1997) Can a Manufacturing Quality Model Work for Software?, IEEE Software, September/October 1997, pp. 101-105

Bibliography

Barlow, R. E. & Irony, T. Z. (1992) "Foundations of statistical quality control" in Ghosh, M. & Pathak, P.K. (eds.) Current Issues in Statistical Inference: Essays in Honor of D. Basu, Hayward, CA: Institute of Mathematical Statistics, 99-112.
Bergman, B. (2009) "Conceptualistic Pragmatism: A framework for Bayesian analysis?", IIE Transactions, 41, 86–93
Deming, W E (1975) "On probability as a basis for action", The American Statistician, 29(4), 146–152
— (1982) Out of the Crisis: Quality, Productivity and Competitive Position ISBN 0-521-30553-5
Oakland, J (2002) Statistical Process Control ISBN 0-7506-5766-9
Shewhart, W A (1931) Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product ISBN 0-87389-076-0
— (1939) Statistical Method from the Viewpoint of Quality Control ISBN 0-486-65232-7
Wheeler, D J (2000) Normality and the Process-Behaviour Chart ISBN 0-945320-56-6
Wheeler, D J & Chambers, D S (1992) Understanding Statistical Process Control ISBN 0-945320-13-2
Wheeler, Donald J. (1999). Understanding Variation: The Key to Managing Chaos - 2nd Edition. SPC Press, Inc. ISBN 0-945320-53-1.
Wise, Stephen A. & Fair, Douglas C (1998). Innovative Control Charting: Practical SPC Solutions for Today's Manufacturing Environment. ASQ Quality Press. ISBN 0-87389-385-9
Zabell, S. L. (1992). "Predicting the unpredictable". Synthese 90: 20

MODERN METHOD OF DOCUMENTATION

The Three Modern Methods for Documentation BY CHINEDU E.J
1. PARENTHETICAL CITATION : A parenthetical citation acknowledges your sources by providing a reference to the author and page number of the sources within the text of your paper . The parenthetical citation follows the text that is being cited. Note that the citation comes before the period at the end of the sentences here are some examples of parenthetical citation.
If the name of the author is mentioned in the text the citation includes only the page number
according to a lunderstad " certain constant objectives can be found in american foreign policy "(1990,p.120)
2. FOOTNOTE: When footnotes are used , the parenthical citations are replace with small , superscript numericals ( i.e raised slightly above the line) which are numbered consecutively throughout the paper.Note that footnote numerals come after the period (or any other puntuaction mark) at the end of the sentence.
The foonote appaers at the buttom of the page , below the text of your paper
Geir lundestad , the American "empire"(oxford:oxford up , 1990 )
3. ENDNOTE: Are constructed in the same manner as footnote. The only different is that the endnote are listed in sequence on their own page at the end of the page rather than appearing at the bottom of each page. Your page of endnote should be titled "note" , centered at the top of the page.

THE NATURE OF RESEARCH AND ITS VITALITY

RESEARCH IN ITS NATURE IS VITAL FOR SOCIOENCONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA DISSCUS
BY CHINEDU E.J. SUBMITTED TO DR. K.C. FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE
Research is the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new concluton.
Research is systematic inquiry to describer, explain, predict and control the observed phenomenon . Research involves inductive and deductive method (babbies 1998).
Inductive method analyze the observed phenomenon and identify the general principle , structure , or processes underlying the phenomenon observed.
deductive methods verify the hypothesized principles through observations . The purpose are different . one is to develop, exaplain and the other is to test the validity of the exaplaination.
    One thing is that we have to pay attention to research is that the heart of the research is not on statistics , but the thinking behind the research. How we really want to find out ,how to build arguments about ideas and concepts , and support to persuade people to accept our argurment.
Gall bory and gall (1996) proposed four types of knowledge that reseach contributed to education as fellow
...Description results of research can be desribe natural or social phenomenon such as structure , activity , changeover time etc . It produce statistical information about aspect of education.
...prediction research is intended to predict a phenomenon that will occur at time y from information at an earlier time x. Here researchers have engage in acquiring knowledge about factors that predict student success and identify student who are likely to be unsuccessful improvement. This type of research is mainly concerned with the effectivenessof intervention. The research approach include experimental design and evaluation research explaination. This type of research subsumes the other three if the researcher are able to explain an educational phenomenon. It means that they can describe , can predict consequence and know how to interven to chage those consequence
          Yes the knowledge of research by its nature has bring many importancy in the Nig. nation economy and has increased the level of development in the Nigeria nation. Going through the history of Nig. education research has changed things in the education sector.
It has helped in the national planning.
It has helped impacted in the fadama development project.
It has helped in rural economic development . Right now we are talking of valued added tax on the economic development , it is the work of research.
It has helped in human resources delopment in scioeconomic.
Through the work of research entreprenuership development programmes has been introduced in high institution and educational learns.
According to A.H.EKPO AND O.J.UMOGN research has helped in economic growth of the nation .
research has also helped in introducing globalisation in Nig. economy.
Infact no nation can do without research weather developed or under-developed , still need to do more research either to maintain their development or to develop themself the more like develop onces.   Research is neccessary to every works of life.
PURPOSE OF RESEARCH patton(1990)
1. Basic research : the purpose of this research is to understand and explain the research is interested in formulating and testing teorical construction.
2. Applied research: is to help researcher understand the nature of human problem so that humanbeings can more effective control their environment.
3.Evaluation research: research studies the processes and out come aimed at attemped solution
4.Action research: it aim at solving specific problems within a programme
PROCESS IN RESEARCH
a. Identify a significant research problem
b.Prepare research proposal
c. Conduct a pilot study
d. Conduct a ministudy
e. prepare a report

reseach in education very important

The importance of research for education's future

Education blog: Professor Kit Field discusses the importance of impartial research to improve education standards and the quality of teaching.

As the Dean of a School of Education, I wanted to take this opportunity to explain why I think research is an important component of education studies and teacher development writes Professor Kit Field.
Research is not always a concept that practitioners, managers and policy makers respect. Too often it is seen as an academic activity conducted by others – to the profession, not with the profession.
But I believe it should be respected. In fact I’d say education professionals are always learning, finding out things, analysing information, adapting their behaviour according to information received, looking to improve and adapting to modern demands. All of this constitutes research - whether professionals want to call it that or not.
Let’s briefly imagine the world of education without research:
1. On what would the learning and teaching experience be based without underpinning research?
If education is not based upon research and evidence, then it runs the risk of being based upon one or more of the following:

Dogma
Theory
Ideology
Convenience
Prejudice

Allow me to unpack these:

Education is a political football and can be used for propaganda and political purposes. I believe that there is a moral dimension to the profession – and to follow dogma blindly is wrong. Education should serve to liberate, and promote democracy and equality of opportunity.

Similarly ideology can be dangerous. Teachers have a social responsibility – to develop active citizens. To guide one’s practice around an ideology means that evidence can be selected to score political points. Following an ideological route restricts choice, which is the opposite to the real purpose of education.

Given that we have all been to school, we all have views on how and what we were taught. The trouble is that we were taught in an age gone by – new theories and technological advances have taken, and are taking, place. Basing our practice solely on our own learning experiences, without reflection, mean education runs the risk of being outdated and not being forward-looking.

Theories come and go and any single theory cannot operate in isolation. Learners and learning are complex and success is influenced by a multitude of factors, social backgrounds, family background, personality, age, gender, location etc etc. Theories needs to be combined, tested and challenged in order to allow us to adapt to suit local and personal environments.

Convenience and manageability are important, but the question is whose ‘convenience'? Teachers can occupy and even control pupils, as well as entertain them. But we have to ask if ‘learning’ takes place. Learning new things and new ways of behaving can be uncomfortable. It is not enough to base teaching and learning around convenience

Research enables all of the above to be challenged. Basing decisions upon evidence is morally sound.
Research can help teachers to understand what works and why, what the short and long-term implications are, provide a justification and rationale for decisions and actions, help to build a repertoire to help deal with the unexpected, identify problems, inform improvement and so forth.
2. What forms of research suit policy makers, planners and implementers of policy?
Some forms of evidence are more useful to some professionals than others. Large scale studies into pupil performance can help to identify trends and enable educational outcomes to be related to social and economic needs.
Policy makers want to see the big picture. On the other hand, practitioners want to know why some techniques work and others don’t.
All professionals need to be able to trust the source of information – and strict research ethics provide that assurance.
Teaching does involves creative thinking and experimentation. Individuals and professional groups need to know what works and why.
Does a teacher’s action lead to improved pupil performance, increased motivation, commitment, better behaviour – and the list goes on? All teachers reflect -we do that anyway – but research is more formal.
The profession as a whole needs access to a range of data/evidence types. Not everyone can, nor would want to, do everything.
However, these all need to be connected, and too often research is conducted in isolation of others. Let’s not all duplicate effort, but combine to build on each others’ findings.
3. How does research benefit the practitioner?
Practitioners have to comply to policy, but that does not mean following a prescribed formula. Teachers can adapt it to fit the individual needs of their own pupils.
But teachers are accountable. The public must have faith in the profession – and attitudes to education vary across many social groups - so the performance of teachers can be demonstrated through the publication of research findings.
Teachers project their own personality upon learning experiences. Sometimes this is intuitive and these decisions can either be successful or fail. Research methodologies give teachers the tools to analyse and make informed decisions about their practice.
Research helps teachers to share with colleagues. Too often research looks backwards and there are lessons to learn.
However, what I would prefer is invention and innovation. I’d like to invent new ways of learning. The risk is the recirculating old and stale ideas.
Research should be future oriented and designed to benefit learners rather than the researchers themselves.
I believe that this is the duty of academic professionals everywhere.

research importance to every persons

The Importance of Research

Study Implications

The purpose of research is to inform action. Thus, your study should seek to contextualize its findings within the larger body of research. Research must always be high quality in order to produce knowledge that is applicable outside of the research setting with implications that go beyond the group that has participated in the research. Furthermore, the results of your study should have implications for policy and project implementation.
One problem that often plagues progress in global health is the slow translation of research into practice. Oftentimes, a disconnect exists between those who create the evidence base and those who are positioned to implement the research findings. The underlying problem is in “the way in which the production of evidence is organized institutionally with highly centralized mechanisms, whereas the application of that science is highly decentralized. This social distance prevails because scientists are more oriented to the international audiences of other scientists for which they publish than to the needs of practitioners, policy makers, or the local public.”(1)
Thus, as researchers, it is imperative to take steps to overcome this barrier. Publishing your study may be one initial step to make your research known to the global community. Other proactive measures can be taken to encourage the uptake of evidence-based interventions. For example, you can present your research findings at various venues such as the Unite for Sight sponsored Global Health and Innovation Conference. Furthermore, you can send the results of your study to local officials, policy-makers, and community leaders.

Goals of Research

There are relatively few published studies about eye care in developing countries, and Unite For Sight encourages all volunteers to consider developing a research study to contribute important knowledge to the eye care community on a global scale. Pursuing a research project will be a challenging and rewarding experience, and this opportunity enables you to pursue an in-depth original study about a topic of interest.
Well-conducted research is vital to the success of global heath endeavors. Not only does research form the foundation of program development and policies all over the world, but it can also be translated into effective global health programs. Research draws its power from the fact that it is empirical: rather than merely theorizing about what might be effective or what could work, researchers go out into the field and design studies that give policymakers hard data on which they can base their decisions. Furthermore, good research produces results that are examinable by peers, methodologies that can be replicated, and knowledge that can be applied to real-world situations. Researchers work as a team to enhance our knowledge of how to best address the world’s problems.

The “Iterative” Process of Research

Ultimately, the key to a successful research project lies in iteration: the process of returning again and again to the research questions, methods, and data, which leads to new ideas, revisions and improvements. It is easy to think of research as a step-by-step “1,2,3” process, but it is important to be fluid and open to change. Oftentimes, by discussing the research project with advisers and peers one will find that new research questions need to be added, variables need to be omitted, and other changes made. As a proposed study is examined and reexamined from different perspectives, it may begin to transform and take a different shape. This is to be expected and is a component of a good research study. In addition, it is important to examine study methods and data from different viewpoints to ensure a comprehensive approach to the research question. In conclusion, there is no one formula for developing a successful research study, but it is important to realize that the research process is cyclical and iterative.

impotance of entreprenuership education in nig.

read this critically for your own good

the importance of entrepreneurship education to nigerian society

Importance of Entrepreneurship Education
Entrepreneurship is a key driver of our economy. Wealth and a high majority of jobs are created by small businesses started by entrepreneurially minded individuals, many of whom go on to create big businesses. People exposed to entrepreneurship frequently express that they have more opportunity to exercise creative freedoms, higher self esteem, and an overall greater sense of control over their own lives. As a result, many experienced business people political leaders, economists, and educators believe that fostering a robust entrepreneurial culture will maximize individual and collective economic and social success on a local, national, and global scale. It is with this in mind that the National Standards for Entrepreneurship Education were developed: to prepare youth and adults to succeed in an entrepreneurial economy.
Entrepreneurship education is a lifelong learning process, starting as early as elementary school and progressing through all levels of education, including adult education. The Standards and their supporting Performance Indicators are a framework for teachers to use in building appropriate objectives, learning activities, and assessments for their target audience. Using this framework, students will have: progressively more challenging educational activities; experiences that will enable them to develop the insight needed to discover and create entrepreneurial opportunities; and the expertise to successfully start and manage their own businesses to take advantage of these opportunities.
The importance of entrepreneurship to any economy is like that of entrepreneurship in any community. Entrepreneurial activity and the resultant financial gain are always of benefit to a country. If you have entrepreneurial skills then you will recognise a genuine opportunity when you come across one. WSI has franchise opportunities available globally for the all-inclusive fee of $49,700. The company, who has been awarded the accolade of being rated the Number 1 Internet Consultancy business for six consecutive years, has franchisees operating in 87 countries worldwide. Because a WSI consulting business
          Entrepreneurship Education focuses on developing understanding and capacity for pursuit, of entrepreneurial behaviours, skills and attributes in widely different contexts. It can be portrayed as open to all and not exclusively the domain of the high-flying growth-seeking business person. The propensity to behave entrepreneurially is not exclusive to certain individuals. Different individuals will have a different mix of capabilities for demonstrating and acquiring entrepreneurial behaviours, skills and attributes. These behaviours can be practiced, developed and learned; hence it is important to expose all students to entrepreneurship education
          Entrepreneurial skills and attitudes provide benefits to society, even beyond their application to
business activity. Obviously speaking, personal qualities that are relevant to entrepreneurship, such as
creativity and a spirit of initiative, can be useful to everyone, in their working responsibilities and in
their daily existence. Also the relevant technical and business skills need to be provided to those who
choose to be self-employed and/or to start their own venture – or might do so in the futu
          Entrepreneurship should be taught to students in all disciplines in the institution. It is not out of
place to say that many business ideas emerge from non-business disciplines but are often waved aside
or ignored because students are not sufficiently educated in the knowledge and skills required.
The economic perspective on entrepreneurship
The economic importance of the entrepreneur in world history has been recognized for several decades. Weber (1930) put forward the thesis that the protestant ethic is spirit of capitalism (Green 1959). Other writers have discussed, from different perspectives, the importance of entrepreneurship to different countries in the postindustrial era. Recently, some development economists have said that the expansion of high-grade personnel (such as entrepreneurs), rather than the increase of physical capital, is the major determinant of economic development. Schumpeter (1947), who was, perhaps, the first major economist to analyze the role of entrepreneurship in economic development, attributed innovation to the entrepreneur. He argued that "to study the entrepreneur is to study the central figure in modern economic history."
In the theory of distribution put forward by Say (1824), a neoclassical economist, the entrepreneur plays a crucial role, though he or she is not a production factor. Unlike the capitalist, the entrepreneur directs the application of acquired knowledge to the production of goods for human consumption. Say postulated that, to be successful, the entrepreneur should be able to estimate future demand, determine the appropriate quantity and timing of inputs, calculate probable production costs and selling prices, and have the arts of superintending and administration. As this combination is not common, the number of successful entrepreneurs is limited, especially in industry.
For Schumpeter (1947), as mentioned earlier, the entrepreneur is the centre of an integrated model of economic development, incorporating a theory of profit and interest, as well as a theory of the business cycle and the capitalist system. The entrepreneur is an innovator, one who carries a combination of the following: the introduction of a new product; the opening of a new market; the conquest of new sources of materials; and the organization of new industry.

youth enhacement through entreprenuership

Nigerian Youths Embrace Entrepreneurship to Tackle Unemployment

As youth make up the majority of the Nigerian population, entrepreneurs say promoting an entrepreneurial spirit among young people will be the key to the nation’s economic future. Meanwhile, the government here has also taken an interest in youth development initiatives, including the launch this month of a competition for aspiring entrepreneurs.- Global Press Institute

by Jennifer Ehidiamen

Fashogbon Abiodun David, 34, is the CEO of Fashi Fizzie, a fashion boutique, and Fizzie Republic, a marketing company, in Ibadan, a small city in southwestern Nigeria.
David says he started his business a decade ago with less than $20 USD.
“Yeah!” he says. “I started with 2,650 naira [NGN ($16.65 USD)]. I ventured into business to conquer poverty.”
David started out in 2001 selling suya, a shish kebab with thinly sliced meat and seasoning, at the University of Ibadan. As his business evolved, he decided to venture into cosmetics, while selling suya on the side, before embracing the fashion and marketing sector fully in 2008.
But he says the transition was not easy. One of the challenges he faced was intimidation from established companies, which he calls “sharks” and says almost forced him to fold.
“The sharks are the big existing businesses that frowns at competition,” he says.
Although society has developed since David launched his company, he says the challenges entrepreneurs currently face are similar, including business intimidation, intelligence theft, funding and electricity.
To overcome these challenges, he says he’s careful about where he discusses his ideas and bought a generator to provide electricity for his company. But he says physical abuse from business rivals is out of his control.
“I was beaten up by a fellow businessman because he was afraid I will take up the business,” he says of a 2009 incident. “The trauma was so much I wanted to close my doors.”
But he says he pressed forward and didn’t even report his assailants because he was more concerned about the future and moving forward.
“I was slapped four times, punched in the chest the first time and a repeated attack the next day,” he says. “I was slapped six times again without raising a finger because of where we are going in the future.”
Since 2001, this Nigerian entrepreneur has expanded his enterprise. David now has four employees.
He says he hopes the government will start to provide more assistance to entrepreneurs so that he can continue to grow his business without fear of violence.
“Government can protect small businesses by establishing good judicial system to punish business intimidation,” he says.
He says that the media should also keep the public informed if opportunities for government funding arise.
Like most young entrepreneurs, he believes the way forward to tackling poverty in Nigeria is through entrepreneurship.
“The strength of a nation is the power of individual character,” he says. “America is what it is because of world-class entrepreneurs that are there: Bill Gate[s] of Microsoft, Steve Jobs of Apple and Larry Ellison of Oracle, Diddy of Sean John.”
Entrepreneurs say that starting businesses, while challenging, holds the key to Nigeria’s economic future. Some have even started nongovernmental organizations, NGOs, to promote entrepreneurship and business education as solutions to youth unemployment. The government has been developing several initiatives to develop youth, including the launch of a youth entrepreneurial competition this month.
The national labor participation rate for Nigerians 15 and older is less than 60 percent, according to the World Bank’s most recent statistics. More than half of Nigerians live at the national poverty line.
Young Nigerians ages 20 to 40 make up almost half of the nation’s population, according to 2011 statistics by the National Population Commission and the World Bank. Many say this pins Nigeria’s hopes for a strong economic future on its youth.
David is not alone in his belief in entrepreneurship as the key to Nigeria’s economic future.
Jacob Ajayi, 26, a digital marketing strategist, is a pioneering partner of Flying Antlers, a digital marketing firm based in Lagos. He is also the chief operating officer of a new product the firm launched just last month, ADPlacers.com, a platform created to address the challenges of online marketing in Nigeria and Africa.
Ajayi traces his venture into entrepreneurship back to before his college years.
“I started even before I gained admission into school,” he says.
He started small.
“I got a loan from my dad, about 40,000 [naira NGN ($250 USD)].”
He used this to set up a public game center in the Lagos mainland metropolis. But he says the business failed. He says he couldn’t repay the loan to his father, who had warned him that entrepreneurship was risky.
“Unfortunately, I was only able to return 3,000 [naira NGN ($20 USD)].”
Undeterred, Ajayi set up a small computer center to provide email services to students at the University of Lagos, where his friends were in school.
“I had a couple friends that I visited,” he says. “Anytime I came around, I got mails opened.”
For a fee, he helped the students seeking employment to create email accounts, upload their CVs online, send emails and perform other Internet tasks. This was in 2001, when Internet services were not popular in Nigeria.
“I needed to find something to do,” he says. “I started by helping people upload their CV online at a fee.”
He says starting a business is all about providing solutions to what others need.
“If you are in any place, make sure you identify a particular problem people have and solve them,” Ajayi says.
Flying Antlers, the marketing company he started with his friend in 2010, now has between eight to 10 people on the payroll working full time or on a freelance basis.
Continuing to expand his reach, Ajayi is also currently a postgraduate student studying business education at the University of Lagos.
“In a way, it opens my mind to different vocational options and how to encourage people to get something started,” he says.
Another entrepreneur, Damilola Osilaja, in her mid-20s, launched her own business initiative six months ago. The initiative, called OneGoal, is a corporate social responsibility consulting firm.
But she still keeps her day job as a project officer in an NGO based in Lagos while her firm is still in its nascent stages.
“One of the reasons is funding because for me to be able to fund my own company, I will first need to work for a while,” she says. “I need the experience as much as I need the funding.”
She admits that keeping two jobs is difficult, but she says that her business venture doesn’t detract from her full-time job.
“This consulting job is part-time,” she says. “It does not interfere with main job.”
But she says it’s also important not to let full-time jobs drain aspiring entrepreneurs of their visions.
“Being an entrepreneur is difficult, especially in a country like Nigeria,” she says. “If you have a vision you want to do, it is best you keep that vision to yourself. Don’t lose the vision.”
Osilaja says that the main challenge in entrepreneurship is starting up.
“I know a lot of Nigerians who are smart and have ideas, but they don’t know where to start from,” she says.
Osilaja says funding is crucial.
“There are some people their parents or guidance can assist with capital,” she says.
For those whose parents can’t give them money, she suggests finding another way to earn capital.
“But do not start something without income,” she says. “You should be doing things that will bring in income.”
She says that people should also use their visions to help one another.
“I am passionate about positive growth,” she says. “At OneGoal, we help people help others. Helping others is key to national development. In this country, like most countries, people are very selfish. If we can remove that selfishness, a country like Nigeria will grow.”
Oluwatosin Agboola, 26, is doing just that. Agboola started Campus Attention, an NGO that is committed to the development of Nigerian youth on university campuses, in 2008. The project is one of many youth-driven NGOs that have been springing up to tackle the issue of youth unemployment in Nigeria.
“Projections indicate that the population of our subregion will cap 430 million inhabitants by 2020, with an ever-increasing number of young people seeking employment, accompanied by the ever-stronger pressure, which is being brought to bear on land and urban agglomerations,” he says.
He says that Campus Attention promotes entrepreneurship among youth.
“We are committed to raising the standard of economic activities of our continent,” Agboola says. “We encourage youths to start business in their areas of passion, as this will help combat unemployment.”
Agboola says that entrepreneurship is an economic solution to unemployment.
“For any serious-minded youth, I will [advise] them to take up to entrepreneurship,” he says. “We must think outside the white-collar job and look inside.”
He says that agriculture is one sector that is rich with opportunities for entrepreneurs.
“Agriculture is one large sector that can help curb the unemployment monster if our government can lend a little hand and let us produce our food ourselves,” he says.
Agboola says his own passion for entrepreneurship is what drives him to nurture other aspiring entrepreneurs. While studying in university, he says he used entrepreneurship to sustain himself.
“I can still remember when I started my first venture, a campus magazine then at the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife,” he says.
He says it was not without its challenges.
“I was beaten up by a printer for my inability to balance him 1,000 [naira NGN ($6.20 USD)],” says Agboola, whose sister eventually paid the printer for him. “I cried to my elder sister, who bailed me.”
Agboola blames the increase in the unemployment rate on the lack of business education among Nigerian youth.
“Our schools are not making us useful to ourselves but only teaching us how to be a good laborer and not a master,” he says.
He advocates for a revamp of the Nigerian education curriculum.
“Let’s draw up a modern university curriculum to reflect our present-day challenges and solution, so that we can produce employers of labor and not jobless generation of youths.”
In addition to organizing different campus outreach initiatives at the grassroots level, his organization is currently working on establishing what he says will be Nigeria’s first student enterprise fund.
“This is a pool of fund specifically for student entrepreneurs or those intending to become an entrepreneur,” he says.
The fund will aim to contribute to the promotion of youth entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
“Since our government, banks and other financial institutions are not ready to help us, we have decided to help ourselves at the grassroots level,” Agboola says.
Ajayi says he is unaware of any government support for entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
“I don’t know any government support,” he says. “They need to come down to the level of the youth. We still see government as people that are up there and not accessible.”
He says that social media has helped bridge the gap.
“Thank God for social media,” he says. “If not for Twitter and Facebook, the only time we see the government is when we buy newspapers or watch TV. One thing they need to do is to come down to our level through local or regional meetings where youths can access the leaders. Our youths are innovative, [but] we need someone to carry us along.”
Osilaja agrees.
“It will be good if the government support entrepreneurs by organizing seminars, workshop, etc.,” Osilaja says. “The government should train youths more on how to start their own businesses.”
The government has developed various strategies to tackle youth unemployment.
This month, President Goodluck Jonathan launched the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria, a business plan competition. The competition aims to create jobs by encouraging and supporting entrepreneurial youth to develop and execute business ideas.
Last month, Alhaji Bolaji Abdullahi, the newly appointed minister for youth development, organized a youth forum for selected youth leaders in Nigeria. The interactive session aimed to share information about the federal government’s plan to engage Nigerian youths in decision-making processes as well as other facets of Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda, a youth development strategy.
Abdullahi said that his administration would leverage off the passion and energy of Nigerian youth to address the different challenges they face. He urged the youth to embrace the ministry as their own by sharing ideas and not leaving the responsibilities of addressing these challenges to the government alone.
“I cannot understand issues of young people better than young people,” he said.
Najmuddeen Imam Abubakar, the director of Youth Enterprises Development and Promotion under the Ministry of Youth, said at the forum that the new administration would collaborate with other ministries and youth-focused organizations to address youth unemployment.
“These issues of entrepreneurship and skill acquisition are not one man’s business,” he said. “It is very important. The collaboration will take effect immediately.”
In 2010, the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, an agency set up by the government to look into the challenges of Nigerian education, developed a new senior secondary school curriculum that aims to ensure that every graduate is well-prepared for higher education and has acquired relevant functional trade and entrepreneurship skills needed for poverty eradication, job creation and wealth generation.
But Ajayi warns relying too heavily on the government, insisting on the responsibility of the citizens themselves.
“Everybody is blaming the government,” he says. “We should stop doing that. We are all responsible for the current situation.”
Ajayi emphasizes passion and innovation.
“Create something out of your passion, and start pushing it forward,” he says. “Our forefathers were not educated, but they were able to survive because they never relied on education or the government to provide everything for them. This made them innovative.”
Ajayi encourages youths to be creative.
“To tackle the unemployment rate, it is about going back to the basics,” Ajayi says. “Youth need to be innovative, think outside the box. Diversification is key so that at the end of the day, you can count different means of income.”

e-gloing