Green economy business incubator, the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC), held a one-day Entrepreneurship Masterclass on Monday with renowned business coach and psychologist, Lanre Olusola of the Lanre Olusola Coaching Academy based in Lagos.
Lanre spoke to the B&FT during the recess and observed that the American economy is the strongest in the world because America has the most millionaires and billionaires, which simply means they have the most entrepreneurs.
These entrepreneurs, he noted, built the US in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries to a world superpower with steel, oil and gas, finance and the motorcar industry which became the foundation for development; hence “The responsibility rests on us to learn from those titans of old and new like John D. Rockefeller, Jeff Bezos, J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg”.
Through research and study, Lanre has been able to condense 44 critical secrets from the world’s most successful people, and his role is to change the mindset of budding entrepreneurs to bridge the knowledge gap. He empahsised that it’s important for African entrepreneurs to realise that business is not about chasing money, but rather to provide solutions.
“When you have devised a solution and created an immense brand, then the money will chase you,” he added. Thus, his role is to challenge the thinking of entrepreneurs and their perceptions, and basically expand their mindsets.
For instance, what are the problems of the future and how to solve them? Lanre believes in challenging them to realise that entrepreneurs are solution providers. Specifically, since GCIC is a business accelerator in the in the area of climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions, questions like what happens after 2040 when Europe phases-out vehicles powered by hydro-carbons for electric-powered vehicles and what opportunities there are for solar-powered recharging depots etc.
He cited a vivid example, where in China they are experimenting with solar-panelled roads in anticipation of scaling up electric cars. This is because they intend to build cars that will be powered by cars through wireless energy. “They are anticipating solutions for the future.”
He lauded the GCIC initiative as being futuristic. GCIC’s mission is to constantly create and support an exceptional set of transformational, innovative ventures and entrepreneurs who are pioneering adaptive and mitigating solutions for climate change issues in Ghana.
The Executive Director-GCIC, Ruka Sanusi, said the Masterclass Entrepreneurship programme is a one-day affair to complement the bouquet of programmes GCIC offers, since there are many variables that make a great entrepreneur.
With the Masterclass Entrepreneurship programme, she said, the objective is to target the mindset since a positive mindset is necessary for success; hence, they engaging renowned entrepreneurial coaches to work with the mentees.
Mohammed Sachibu, one of the beneficiaries, said the Masterclass programme is one of the most profound classes in the green business programme – as they are taught to focus on the challenges facing society so as to provide solutions, and not necessarily seeking to profit from a business opportunity; and when that is achieved, the money will follow naturally.
