How Kenechukwu Okafor engineers footwear business
Kenechukwu Chibuikem Okafor is a Mechanical Engineering graduate of Landmark University, Ilorin, Kwara State. He is the founder and CEO of Ezra Footwear, a start-up shoe manufacturing business.
Kenechukwu was inspired to establish his business by his parents and his love for leather products. The achievements of his parents motivated him on a daily basis and, in 2016, he decided to establish EZRA Footwear to realise his dream and prove that locally made shoes can compete with imported ones. He is also the founder of EZRA farms.
He started his business with his entire savings and it has gone relatively well for him, as demand for his products has also grown.
He tells Start-Up Digest that he sources his raw materials from local markets across the country and also imports some.
“We source for most of our materials from local markets most times and also imports from Indonesia,” the footwear maker said.
Kenechukwu is the current winner of the Entrepreneurs Organisation, Global Students Entrepreneurship Awards (EOGSEA) in Nigeria and he represented the country at the global finals in Germany.
Answering questions on the challenges facing his business, Kenechukwu said that rising cost of raw materials has remained the major issue, adding that prices of materials needed for production of footwear have doubled within the last six months.
He stated that this has increased his production cost with customers not wanting to pay more despite the rise in costs. He further stated that his inability to meet with huge demand for his products is a big issue, calling for funds for expansion.
The young entrepreneur called on the government to improve the ease of doing business in the country so that cost of production can decline and the country’s products will become more competitive. He stated that the issue of competitiveness has been a major factor hindering the growth of the country’s footwear industry as a lot of foreign shoes are cheaper than locally produced ones.
The engineer-turned-entrepreneur said that when production cost is low, Nigerian shoes will compete favourably with the imported ones.
Kenechukwu also urged the government to assist start-ups with finance. “A lot of Nigerian youths have wonderful business ideas but the finance to bring them to bear is what is lacking, forcing many to never establish their businesses. But if government can start supporting start-ups with finance many of them will establish their business,” he said.
He stated that the government has not given enough support to the sector, stressing that a lot of footwear makers in the country have shut down their production due to the harsh operating environment and lack of government support to the sector.
“A lot of people have started a footwear production line and they have been forced to close down because they cannot cope with the economic situation. The Footwear industry can be a good source of export for Nigeria with much support from the government,” he said.
Ekenechukwu noted that the footwear industry has the potential to diversify the country’s economy away from oil and earn huge foreign exchange for Nigeria.
The young entrepreneur stated that the country has what it takes in terms of raw materials and the needed skills to be footwear manufacturing hub in Africa.
When asked about his expansion plans, Ekenechukwu said, “I have scheduled a lot of expansion plans which I have already started working on through the help of my parents who have been supporting me from the beginning. Currently, I am making efforts to secure more machines for production and also expand the factory space.”
“I also intend to start training other youths on footwear manufacturing. I am saving towards achieving all these within the shortest possible time,” said Ekenechukwu.
On his advice to younger entrepreneurs, he said “My advice for other entrepreneurs out there is that we all go through bad days. I have been through a lot of bad times. What matters is not how hard you fell but how you got back up.”
Josephine Okojie