‘Nigerian entrepreneurs must position themselves for global market’
Celestina Utoro is the founder and managing director of Catyna Designs. In this interview, Utoro tells ODINAKA ANUDU how Nigeria and Africa can benefit from the use of indigenous fabrics. Having participated in the mentorship programme organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and in the Global Entrepreneurship Programme in Kenya, she believes that Nigerian entrepreneurs should come out strong and position themselves for the global market. Excerpt:
Tell us what you do.
We do interior decoration using local African fabrics. One of our latest innovations is ‘Adire Vertical Blinds’. We are trying to promote our non-oil sector. So we are using our local fabrics for top quality decorative products for our customers. We have ‘African Blinds’ and ‘Window Blind Treatments’.
You were part of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI)’s mentorship programme in 2013. Can we know what you learnt from the programme?
The number one thing is that you must be organised. A lot of us just go into business without thinking of the vision and the mission. If you don’t have a mission, hardly will your business go anywhere. In the mentorship programme, I was attached to a respected accountant, and I learnt that I must be accountable.
To what extent will you apply this on your business?
Now I know I must employ an accountant. If you cannot pay for the high-end one, you can work with a consultant. Money is the life of any business, so, if you don’t know about what comes in and what goes out, hardly will your business go far. This is because you won’t know whether you are making profit or loss or whether you are progressing in any particular area. Apart from that, the most important thing is that investors will now be ready for your business because they will know from your account that your business is positioned for growth.
You participated in an entrepreneurship programme in Kenya, where Barack Obama, the United States president, spoke. How did this happen?
I was actually in my office one day when I got a call from the United States Embassy that I had been nominated for the Global Entrepreneurship Programme holding in Kenya. I said to myself, ‘Wow, this is interesting. What am I doing?’ They said my name had been sent to Kenya and I would be informed if I was nominated. Later, I was called and told I had been selected. That gave me the courage and the belief. I said to myself, ‘If someone from the US consulate or at the global level has seen something in what we are doing, then we have to look within and see how we can make a difference with our resources.’ We are always used to Western things, but we forget that Western people also want things from Africa. That was exactly the point Barack Obama stressed at the Global Entrepreneurship Programme. He told us that Africa was on the move and we Africans were the ones that would develop Africa. Have you ever wondered why with all the problems Nigeria has, investors still come in? That means there is something Africa has that we have to tap into. Entrepreneurs in Nigeria should come out strong and position themselves for the global market. And the only way to do it is to be global ready. But you can’t do that without having a vision or a goal or even a business plan. When you do that, people and organisations will come in and help you. Even when you are wrong, they will help you put it right. Nigerians, as I see them now, are willing to drive entrepreneurship. This is the time for us to mould Africa. That was why I went into indigenous fabrics for interior decoration. Over the years, I have been doing the ‘Window Blinds’ and corporate organisations know me for that. But I asked myself, ‘How can I add value? How can I make a difference?’ I have always loved local fabrics and I know our artisans are professionals and we only need to encourage them.
How do you see the state of the local fabrics industry?
It’s still not OK, but it’s something they are still trying to build. The government is beginning to work on it. I use a lot of fabrics from Ogun. The Ogun State government is also looking into that, and they are looking at how to improve technology. I think the government is really looking at the non-oil sector, knowing that if we do not develop that aspect of our economy, we may have a lot of problems.