Overview
Kader Iboudu has been passionate about entrepreneurship since childhood, thanks to his father, an entrepreneur in public infrastructure. He's thrilled by his ability to use his creativity to solve problems that impact communities and create tangible value for people. This desire to make a difference pulled him from Burkina Faso to join SFAN's Student Entrepreneurship Week in 2019.
Challenge
Burkina Faso is among the poorest nations in Africa, with a GDP of $22.9 billion, an extreme poverty rate of 40%, and a Human Development Index (HDI) ranking of 184 out of 191, according to recent estimates. The youth are affected the most, as 64% of the country's population of 22 million is under 25, with a median age of just 18 years.
Despite substantial efforts from the government and development agencies to combat youth poverty and drive economic prosperity, persistent challenges have hindered growth, preventing improvements in living standards.
The working-age population increases by an average of 600,000 yearly, but job creation has not kept pace. Consequently, many young people are migrating to urban centers, but that hasn't helped much, as urban youth unemployment is estimated at 25%.
"As a young graduate, I was about to start my business and sought tools to strengthen my business skills. When I saw the Student Entrepreneurship Week event I knew it was an opportunity to see real entrepreneurs, make connections, and get advice. So I traveled from Burkina Faso to Ghana. I want to be a sponge and keep absorbing as much knowledge and opportunities as I can from my surroundings." — Kader Iboudo, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Solution
SFAN's Student Entrepreneurship Week is a growth-focused startup event where budding entrepreneurs learn from investors and entrepreneurs from Africa, Silicon Valley, and beyond. Kader was among 300+ young entrepreneurs from over 8 african countries who attended the 3-day event in 2019 at the Ecobank head office in Ghana. Regarding his experience of the event, Kader says:
"Before Student Entrepreneurship Week, I was a student with ideas. Now I have started my business and won some prizes and contracts. And I am focused on growing my company.
Student Entrepreneurship Week was a great and successful experience. It allows students to interact and seek advice from real entrepreneurs, businesses, and support agencies. It also brought together top thought leaders to share their amazing stories of success, growth strategies, and innovation insights. They taught me how to avoid making the same mistakes they made.
The event provides a great opportunity for any student focused on building and sustaining a growing business to learn how to do so. I won the most outstanding participant award from SFAN, which allowed me to participate in a Spain-based incubator program. When I returned to my country, I won a $100,000 contract with some government institutions to supply agricultural products. My team also won a $10,000 COVID-19 Innovation Challenge by UNDP Africa."
