Aba To The World

Uzoma Agba is a business catalyst, digital and brand strategist with a passion for creating impact driven solutions for professionals, corporate organization and startups.

She is a digital skills trainer with Haptics on the Grow with Google Initiative and Facebook on the Boost Your Business Project. She has also worked as a Judge Advisor and Mentor for Technovation, Business Support for Fate Foundation. She also took part in the UNICEF/Cartedo COVD-19 Design Challenge by developing products, services and solutions in design thinking to the challenges faced by people in my community acknowledging my positive contribution in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

An active volunteer for community building and development projects like Green Peace, Amnesty International, Paradigm Initiative (Aba Life Digital Inclusion), Vision Alive Foundation, TedxAbayi, and TedxAbiaPoly

I am strongly committed in helping professional brands to build, grow and scale their brand and career.

I am solving the problem of traders not being able to sell their products to a larger customer base

    Aba To The World also known as Boost Business With Technology will use  advanced technology by building an ecommerce company with a mobile app. The project will also have a Shazam  feature like Apple products picture app that allows you to buy a product of the picture, once you upload  the picture it will automatically direct you to traders shop so that you can make purchases. Also, when you touch an object of a picture instead of showing you brands like Asos , The Artificial Intelligence will suggest the local Nigerian traders/ brands to buy from. It will also be included with a secured payment platform

This project will elevate humanity, by using technology to boost their businesses and telling their story in the media to the world.

I am solving the problem of traders not be able to reach their customers on a global scale locally and globally because they are not aware of using technology to boost their businesses. A lot of traders are affected in Aba, Abia State (Enyimba Economic City) which is a business hub that houses the Ariaria International Market which was built is the second biggest market in Nigeria and one of the biggest market in West Africa. Ariaria market traders export over two million shoes monthly to other states in Nigeria and to other West African Countries.

Over 50%of the traders are not aware of using technology to boost businesses because of illiteracy and financial constraints. 

There are over 100, 000 traders in Abia state but Aba has the latent potential of competing with the largest commercial hubs in the world in terms of volume of trade and industry.
Aba based dealers in leather and garments fabrication also recorded
sales in excess of One billion Naira in 2016 which is over 2.5 million
dollars.

By using technology, their rate of production will increase as a result of more orders and the economy of the city, state and Nigeria will improve.

Aba To The World is an ecommerce and artificial intelligence company with an online market place to promote Made In Aba products such as shoes, bags, clothes similar to Alibaba. We will be building an ecommerce stores linking wholesalers, retailers, customers together where the world can buy African/Aba made products and it will be shipped to them directly after they order, It will be a business to business and a  business to customer platform, This will also promote African made products thereby preserving the culture of Africa.

 There will also be Premium listings of businesses on Google My Business,
it will ensure complete business profile description (contact, location,
photos,) and optimized description which helps search engines like
Google ranks higher complete profiles. High visibility on high traffic
traffic platforms such as facebook, Here Maps, Wave and Google

Enriched insights and analytics , centralized management with reviews and questions, improved credibility (blue badge).

I will organize events and trade fairs that promotes Made In Aba products,
promoting it through social media by launching the Aba to The World
Campaign we will be bringing the World to Aba.

Aba is a city in the SouthEast region of Nigeria, the major manufacturing hub and the commercial centre of Abia State.
The Aba people are artisans and handcraft business men and produces shoes, bags, belts, clothes , jewelries. 

While I was training on the Google and Facebook digital skills and boost your business projects, Up to 500 business people listed their businesses on the free listing of Google My Business and more than 500  started using social media to promote their business. it was then that I realized the needs of the traders were for them to widen the reach of their customers and this can only be done using technology which will put Aba business on the global map because Aba traders are smart manufacturers using the best quality raw materials, very innovative and  their products are durable and unique so they will need the Aba To The World platform to upscale their businesses.

This project will solve their needs with the ecommerce stores that has a secured web integrated payment solution to ensure easy purchase of goods.

     I will work with the Aba Traders Association and partner with

logistics company to deliver Made In Aba products anywhere.

Aba To The World Project is for the Aba local traders that are traditionally left behind because some of them are not exposed to technology but with this initiative, it will help them to make more money in their several businesses using technology because the traders and Aba Made Products will gain both local and international exposure by using the media as a weapon, they will make more profit because their rate of manufacturing will be increased which will lift them from poverty and increase their standard of living, boost the economy of the city and develop the society.

     I  worked as a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Development Trainer on the Facebook on the Boost Your Business Project where I trained small and medium entrepreneurs   on Boosting Business with Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp for Business, Grow  target audience with insights, Tools and services for creative content. 

I also worked as a Grow With Google Trainer with Haptics Nigeria (Google Partner) on Grow with Google Initiative and trained business owners on  Online Opportunity and Strategy, Digital Marketing Tools , Email and Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Optimization (SEO), Business Listings (Google My Business ).

It was after the result of  over 200 business people using social media to boost their business and up to 500 businesses were freely listed on Google My Business that when realized the need for a digital business transaction platform that will connect buyers, sellers and retailers.

    That was when I came up with the idea of Aba To The World which will help traders to leverage technology and make more sales of their products.

The Made In Aba products will be out in front of the customers like the Alibaba platform because Aba is the China Of Africa.

I was born and bred in Aba, Abia state , I am passionate about creating jobs for the unemployed youths because Nigeria has 33.5 percent unemployment rate coupled with the coronavirus crises , putting aba businesses and products on the global map will lead to a global demand of Made In Aba products, which will lead to more hands being needed in the production of bags, shoes, clothes creating jobs for the unemployed youths. It will also bring about technology education and improving the educational system of the community because a lot of youths will be exposed to the use of technology to solve the problems of the businesses. It will make them to perform better in future projects making them to be technology entrepreneurs.

I know what it feels for you to have quality products but you are not reaching your full capacity in terms of getting more customers. I am passionate about building and developing my community, raising the standard of living and boosting the economy of Abia state which in turn Nigeria as a whole.

I am a Facebook Trainer with Innovation Growth Hub and Trained Small and Medium Business Owners (SMBs) on Boosting Business with Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp for Business. Grow  target audience with insights. Tools and services for creative content.

  As a Mentor for Technovation and Used ISTE Standards (International Society for Technology in Education ) while Working with young students by brainstorming, using technology to solve problems in the society and developing strategies to meet goals.

Judge Advisor for Techovation Girls  Competitionby judging the junior and senior  category of girls submissions on  mobile applications developed with MIT App Inventor and Thunkable, business pitch and business plans. 

• Verifying businesses on Google My Business using the Trusted Verifier App.
• Complete Listing of Businesses on Google Search and Google Maps.

I took part in the UNICEF/Cartedo COVD-19 Design Challenge and developed products, services and solutions in design thinking to the challenges faced by people in my community acknowledging my positive contribution in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a Business Support Mentor with Fate Foundation where i  help entrepreneurs by providing business support for their businesses such as business vision and mission, selling online, increasing customer base, business branding etc

Google My Business (GMB) Trusted Verifier with Innovation Growth Hub where ilist and Verify businesses on Google My Business using the Trusted Verifier App.

I have certifications from Google, Facebook, Hubspot, Coursera, American Internet Business School, Fate Foundation, Technovation, Innovation Growth Hub, Young African Leaders Initiative YALI, Youtube, Future Learn, Hootsuite.  

In my final year at the university, I was doing my final year project and i was not getting any result, i did it a lot of times but still no result so i stepped out of my comfort zone by analyzing the factors that made me to get an accurate result after brainstorming ideas. I did the project practical the last time and got an accurate result which made the external  project  supervisor to give an A+ in my project and my work was highly recommended by my supervisor.

I was the team leader and emerged as  a semi-finalist in the 2018 L'Oreal brand storm challenge which was based on creating an innovation based on three awards 1)Brand Award 2)Tech Award 3) Corporate social responsibility  Award.

 I majored in the Tech Award which rewards the most innovative connected device that supports the creation of new services and valuable experience for the customer.

It was my first time participating in a global competition after brainstorming, i came up with a Digital HFS(Hair strands, Facial features and Skin tone) Device which will be worn on the head for ten minutes, it uses hair strands to determine the hair type, it analyses facial features and also checks the skin tone to recommend the best L'Oreal right product suitable for the consumer which prevents skin reactions.

Aba To The World is project proposed by me in conjunction with Innovation Growth Hub where i work which is part of the vision of the company to boost Aba businesses and products with technology.

Aba To The World is a unique and disruptive project because it will promote Aba/African products to the diaspora promoting and preserving the African culture .
It will also be a Business to Business (B2B) and a business to consumer (B2C) platform that will connect Aba manufacturers to consumers. It will also have the Shazam feature where a customer snaps and uploads a picture. The Artificial intelligence will automatically redirect the user to the Aba manufacturers store so that the user can make purchase . It will have a live chat support service and a secured payment platform. Users will be able to browse through a range of products making them to have various options and make the best choice in purchase.
It is the perfect solution for business to sell more of their products during this corona virus crisis.It will serve as a network connection of business owners, customers, companies etc.

Aba To The World will spark a change and disrupt the shopping experience because of the Shazam feature of the app when a user uploads a picture of a product, it will automatically redirect the user to the Aba manufacturer store so that they can make payment reducing the stress, time, energy and risk to go to the market to look for a product, the products will be delivered at the door step saving the time, transport fare and energy.
It has an impact in the customer journey because the customer will not have to go about asking a lot of people where he can buy a product providing a comfortable and seamless shopping experience. This will maintain a good and strong business relationship between the buyer and seller ensuring that quality products are always delivered.

I am serving 200 people with this work, in one year i will be serving 1000 business people, in the next over 100,000 business owners within and outside of Aba, Abia state expanding to various states in the country.

My goal is to solve the problem of poverty, unemployment, poor network, poor roads, no light, lack of funds by using technology to boost businesses because technology reduces cost, drives efficiency and generates revenue which is in line with the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

By working with the association of Aba traders, it will be a network with them and i also provide one on one coaching and mentoring sessions with them as a business developer and consultant.

I will employ graduates who will work as social media managers for the businesses social media pages.

 I will partner with a payment platform like paystack to ensure secured payments on the ecommerce platform.

I will partner with delivery and logistics company to ensure faster delivery of products.

I will use the business model canva as one of the formulars and blueprint to achieve my goals.

Financial barriers due to lack of funding

Poor internet connection 

Poor electricity

Financial Barrier which is why I am applying for The Elevate Prize.

Poor Internet Connection and I will overcome it by subscribing to three internet provider service which ensures that I have a fast internet connection.

Poor electricity and I will overcome it by having a 24/7 standby generator.

I work with Innovation Growth Hub (IGHub) a Technology, Business and Creative Incubation Hub That is Committed in Working with Startups and Businesses in various stages of maturity by providing Space, Mentorship,

Internet, Power, Training, Business Support services, Warm Community and
Network for entrepreneurs. We encourage collaboration, nurture and help
turn their ideas to products. Our aim is to stimulate economic growth
in our community through technology solutions by providing support like
business resources, mentoring, training and access to business expertise.

Our Mission is to Bring Prosperity to our Communities through Innovation and Technology.

IGHub provides Technical support and Web Development Services to these Businesses in order to position them for Global advancement.This drives economic growth and competitiveness in South East of Nigeria.

IGHub has embraced Social Media for broadcasting latest activities and
opportunities among its ever-expanding community. It also relies on
local media for its Tech Evangelism as it runs a regular radio program
on Magic FM in Aba. This channel has served in converting the older
demographic into believers of the Innovation Journey.

Bearing in mind the importance of  building transgenerational businesses, IGHub has held Basic Entrepreneurship Development Courses (BEDC) which are centered on equipping Individuals with relevant skills for building World Class Brands from their ideas.

IGHub is Located at the 5th
Floor of the second tallest building in Aba, IGHub is set to
continually ignite Tech and Business Success Stories in South East and
Nigeria in general.

Aba To The World is an online Marketplace that allows sellers to list items for sale and provide customers with easy tools for connecting the sellers.

It ensures easy and faster delivery of products, increasing the orders of products which creates more jobs for the unemployed as more people will be needed to manufacture the products.

This will increase the profit of Aba manufacturers, Revenue will be generated to the company by including fees to the buyers or sellers for a successful transaction, additional services for helping advertisers sell their products and insurance so people can have peace of mind. This project will positively impact the lives of the Aba traders and unemployed youths in the state. It will make the Aba made products to be a brand name serving the needs of the community and the world at large. It will increase the partnerships leading to a strong business network and relationship between Banks, Government, Media, Delivery and Logistics Company.

I will fund the work through strategic partnerships by partnering with Banks, Media, Delivery and Logistics Company because it will enhance their brand visibility in my project.

By providing services and charging service fee charge to the buyer or seller after a successful transaction, value added services for helping sellers advertise their products for certain features such as greater exposure on the site and unlimited product listings. Commission on reseller sales, Membership subscriptions, Customer management services, software service fees, generating revenue from customers through platform commissions and on-demand delivery service fees.

By cloud computing and internet infrastructure  and have revenue streams from data centers. By offering cloud computing services to sellers on its marketplaces by offering data base services and storage and large scale computing services. Provide internet infrastructure services such as web hosting  and domain name registration.

Online marketing services where sellers pay us marketing fees for user traffic by bidding for keywords that match product or service listings appearance in search or browser results on a cost per-click (CPC) basis at the prices established by our online auction system.

Value added services such as product showcases, custom clearance , value-added taxes or VAT refund and the import /export business solutions.

Site owners can charge advertisement fees for displaying their ads on the site. The Revenue can vary from cost per click (cpc) or cost per thousand (cpm) like super banner, wallpaper scrapper or rectangular ads.

I am seeking for grant

Domain name and Hosting

Utility bills

Logistics Costs

Legal fees

Staff Salaries

Payment processing costs

Taxes

Shipping costs

Sales and Marketing costs

Warehouse Rent

Store supplies

Inventory

I am applying for The Elevate Prize in other to get funds for the Aba To The World which provides an easy and faster delivery of Aba/African Products making it easy for people to buy things especially with the lockdown and coronavirus crises.

Banks

Media

Delivery and Logistics Company

Parcel Services

Web Hosting Companies

Companies

IT Cloud companies

Suppliers and Manufacturers

Network of sellers