The Muslim CEO Africa

 MEET THE YOUNG MUSLIM CEO IN NIGERIA MAKING IT BIG IN AGRICULTURE- ABUBAKAR MOHAMMED FALALU Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed Falalu is the founder of Falgates, a company that farms and mills rice in Nigeria.  Falgates’ rice milling facility has a capacity of 15 tons per day with a total annual capacity to produce more than 5,000 metric tones and a variety of rice products.  The hardworking and vibrant entrepreneur saw an opportunity to make money when he realized Nigeria consumes about seven million metric tonnes of rice and only produces 2.7 million metric tonnes, forcing the country to spend more than $2 billion in imports.  He graduated from UNNC with an MSc in Entrepreneurship in 2014.  After his study, he put in $10,000 of his personal savings and bought a milling machine from China. But this was not enough.  He approached Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI) for a loan, but he only met 6 of the 26 requirements. He turned to his family and friends and received support to keep the business mov

Be specific on who you want to do business with. Written by: Suleiman Ndoro Jnr (Dr Audi) CEO: The Muslim Media Who do you want to do business with? Having a business idea is not enough, you need to figure out your market. Your market can't be everyone. No business- particularly a small one- can be all things to all people. The more narrowly you can define your target market, the better. This process is known as creating a niche. The smaller the niche, the better. As we say in the business world, "smaller is bigger in business." A market analysis is very important when you want to start a business. This helps you in knowing who exactly is your customer.  The first step in creating a niche is to make a wishlist of whom you want to do business with and you ought to be as specific as you can. For instance, if you want to sell female clothes, don't target all ladies.  No. Target 25-40-year-old ladies living in middle-class families living in Mombasa who are employed and c

The first pillar to great marketing The Muslim CEO Africa   “Hello Malik, there is a new company in Gatundu giving tenders to people who can supply watermelons. I think it‟s a good venture. Let‟s do it, what do you think? Please reply as soon as you get my message.”  Hussein returned his phone back to his pocket as soon as he clicked the send button. Hussein then started making plans of how he would travel from Garissa to Gatundu. After a whole year of job hunting with no good luck, he could not let this opportunity pass. Even if his long time comrade Malik was not in for it, he had already made a decision to try his luck at Gatundu.   “Bro, I am in for this. What are we waiting for? Let‟s travel tonight. I am coming to your place right away.” Hussein smiled as he was reading his friend's text.  Hussein and Malik arrived in Gatundu the next day and luckily got the tender. They worked hard and became known as the best suppliers of melons in that area.  Time went by and they each st