Eyitayo Ogunmola
Revolutionising skills development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Heriot-Watt graduate Eyitayo Ogunmola is a social entrepreneur whose innovative business, Utiva, helps students and recent graduates in Sub-Saharan Africa to develop the right skills and knowledge to succeed in the global job market. He is one of the Global Good Fund’s 2019 Fellows – just ten are identified – in recognition of his pioneering work to improve employment rates for young people by developing their technology and leadership skills.
Eyitayo’s entrepreneurialism was sparked by his own experience:
After I graduated in Medical Physiology from the University of Ilorin I was frustrated by how hard it was to find a good job. I struggled for two years. But I got lucky, meeting a mentor who helped me into consultancy which kickstarted my career.
Employability is a major concern in Nigeria; a high percentage of graduates fail to secure a job because businesses consider them to be unemployable due to a lack of relevant skills.
Eyitayo realised many other young people were experiencing similar blocks to progress as he had, and he wanted to find a solution. So he set up Utiva in 2015. Championing a new model to address the skills-gap problem, Utiva combined an online platform, and traditional face-to-face classes delivered within universities, to develop job-ready graduates. However, once established, Eyitayo realised the model needed improving. Coming to Heriot-Watt in 2017 to complete a MSc in Business Strategy, Leadership and Change created something of a turning point:
“I wanted to develop the business and I needed new inspiration. I was looking for an educational experience that would bring me into contact with a global community and other potential leaders from countries with emerging economies. I did a whole lot of research and Heriot-Watt seemed like the place for me.”
He loved the programme, finding it “very supportive”, and felt Edinburgh provided a great blend of peace and fun.
“Heriot-Watt is a really good ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs. I found it an open, friendly place and undertaking the MSc helped me to reinvigorate Utiva, improving the business model and broadening its ambition. One of my classes was a revelation – I left it with a clear direction: I knew Utiva had to become business-to-business based.”
On return to Nigeria Eyitayo quickly implemented his learning.
“Now we work with local and global businesses to identify the skills they need. To date, over 12,000 graduates have benefitted from Utiva and we currently work with 25 universities across Nigeria. We’ve recently launched a Data Science Academy, working with around 50 fast-growing FinTech companies and are developing talent across different sectors. This summer we are accelerating around 120 data analysts and hope to have supported 1,000 by the end of 2019.”
With a clear focus on the future, Eyitayo is pushing Utiva to make an impact by helping organisations to digitalise their workforce, championing conversations around data science, machine learning and AI.
“We are working to transform businesses by developing talent already in the workplace, as well as developing younger talent coming up through our universities.”
Utiva’s forward thinking has led the Nigerian government to seek its support for policy development and programme interventions.
Reflecting on the impact studying in Scotland had for Utiva, Eyitayo feels his MSc significantly honed his leadership approach. But it was his tutors that made the greatest impression:
“They were genuinely interested in my business, wanting it to be a success as much as I did, which was incredibly helpful and inspiring. It was a fantastic experience to study with HWU – everything I learned I applied to making Utiva a better business.”