Fostering bi-lateral engagements with Nigeria starts from changing pre-existing misconceptions- my experience visiting Eastern Europe

I was invited as a speaker to the Cluj Innovation Days (CID2023) sometime in May, 2023 representing our organizations Friends Of Nigeria Europe and FONIV Consulting

It was my first time in the city of Cluj as well as in Romania. Before my presentation, I had an interesting engagement with a top ranking official in Romania. It was a casual exchange until she told me the average Romanian knows only one thing about Nigeria. And that's "the Nigerian Prince" a.k.a scammers or internet fraudsters.

I was in a dilemma. I traveled all the way from Paris to speak about "The Nigerian Business and Innovation Ecosystem" in a bid to foster more synergies and partnerships between Nigerian stakeholders and their counterparts in Eastern Europe. My scope of work had been enlarged. I wasn't only going to stop at giving insights into Nigeria's thriving innovation ecosystem but also to correct and address 'a negative narrative' and image.

You can watch my presentation here:? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kisVWdJOx-o

To cut to the chase, after my presentation, a couple of people walked up to me and said they would be happy to learn more about the possibilities of a business mission to Nigeria and look into opportunities for collaborations.

Many lessons learnt from this particular engagement in the Nigerian context:

1. One of our greatest hurdle is image building. This explains why many foreign companies ( agricultural commodity buyers) would rather have a Nigerian agricultural commodity shipped to other countries and resold to them by a 'trusted middleman' (registered in another part of the world) who does nothing but just repackage same product and sells for a killer price. Across social classes, even billionaires have one thing or two to say about not so good experiences outside the shores of the country because of the "green passport".

2. What we voice out is what echoes back to us: Some Nigerians are the reason for the negative brand image. Therefore, well meaning Nigerians would also be responsible for bringing back the honour the country deserves among the league of nations. No foreign Institution or entity would do for us what we should do for ourselves. As a matter of fact, allowing foreigners control our narrative leaves us at their mercy (which of course is interest governed).

3. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Nigeria that cannot be corrected by what is right with Nigeria: The fact remains that there is no perfect system anywhere. Take that from someone who has lived and traveled wide engaging with stakeholders at various levels. You just need to stay long in the system and engage locally, you'll see the whole 'eldorado ideals' crumble at many instances.?

The only difference is that some are better at managing (or hiding) their "Achilles' heel" than others. You don't come to the table of the strong by amplifying your weakness. That only guarantees being trampled upon. You come to the table showcasing your strength which doesn't translate to mean that you should be living in self deception, ignoring your weaknesses.

Like I say to people, Nigeria is the hardest country to sell , yet the easiest. It's a crazy paradox. The commitment remains to see the nation truly rise to it's place and lead the continent leveraging on human capital development, innovation and collaborations with relevant stakeholders.