Why African migrants must stop chasing employment abroad —Dr. Olorunsheyi

The Co-founder of Pertinence Group, Dr Sunday Olorunsheyi, has urged African migrants to stop seeking jobs and start their own business, which is more beneficial to them.

According to him, It is much more beneficial to Africa as your continent if you seek to start your own business abroad rather than hoping to land an employment after migration.

The business mogul, who lives and works in both Canada and Nigeria, made the assertion during the Nigeria-Canada trade summit hosted by Glocapro in Lagos earlier this month at the Eko hotel and Suites.

Olorunsheyi, joined by other distinguished speakers, started by raising concerns about the prevalent trend of African migrants seeking employment rather than venturing into entrepreneurship in Canada.

He emphasised the significance of representation in decision-making spheres and urged Africans to seize opportunities for economic empowerment.

He said, “It is the people who are starting businesses in Canada that are controlling the economy and influencing policies, and our people are not well represented. Like I said, if you are not sitting at the table, it means you are part of the menu.”

Co-convener, Mr. Babajide Shiwoku also echoed the opinion, hammering on economic empowerment among Africans in Canada, and citing the need for African businesses to capitalise on the growing Afro-Caribbean population in the North American country.

“We see foreign businesses come into Nigeria and Africa generally, they make profits and take it back to their home country. So why can’t we have top businesses from Africa that can establish business in foreign countries, make profit from there and bring it home as well,” he stated

Another keynote speaker, a Canadian immigration consultant, Mr. Mehal Singh shared his personal journey of transitioning from a student to a successful entrepreneur in Canada. He advocated for perseverance and diligence in pursuing business endeavours rather than settling for mere employment.

The other speakers at the event were Prof. Pat Utomi, a renowned professor of political economics; and Mr. Niyi Adesanya, a respected leadership and management consultant; who both made strong points about taking advantage of a working environment to better the cause of the African continent.

Utomi spoke on the significance of leveraging the diverse institutions and values of foreign countries to instigate positive change within Nigeria.

He said, “I usually say that Nigeria in spite of all the frightening things you hear today, will rise again; and the anchor of that rise would be the Nigerian diaspora. If you look at the 20th century, Japan rose following the Meiji Restoration on the back of ideas from the Japanese diaspora majorly from Germany. India rising, China rising, all came largely from their diaspora,” he stated.

“We who are here in Nigeria, given the kind of corruption that we have allowed to eat into our psyche are not going to build a good society. Look, in my view, there are a number of things that’d be responsible for a great nation, one are your institutions and the other are your values. Those two are in complete collapse in Nigeria today. But those Nigerians who live in Canada, who live in the United States, who are living different values, they’ll bring the salvation we seek.”

On his own delivery, Adesanya talked about the essence of sustainability in business, emphasising the importance of creating transgenerational wealth. He elucidated on the four levels of business success, stressing the necessity of a conducive environment for achieving enduring prosperity.

“There are four levels to achieving sustainability in your business, first is getting rich, second is staying rich, third is being sane in the midst of riches, and the final level is attaining transgenerational wealth. One factor that is common to all levels is having a conducive and empowering environment,” he said.

The summit concluded with a resolve to further explore and harness the potential of Nigeria-Canada trade relations, with Glocapro announcing plans to host the Canada version of the summit in September 2024.

The event witnessed the presence of influential figures across diverse sectors, including business, technology, manufacturing, and professional services, with Television host, Mrs. Tope Mark-Odigie, gracing the occasion as the moderator.