Onosen Ekelemu, a young entrepreneur who manufactures footwear for children and young adults, has urged the government to urgently fix the power situation in the country so as to save start-ups from going extinction. Onosen Ekelemu, CEO, Cheery Little Soles, a footwear manufacturing startup based in Lagos that focuses on making shoes for children, said poor power supply and lack of expertise in the country are two key challenges facing start-ups in Nigeria.
Ekelemu, who is responsible for the design and pattern of the footwear, said Nigeria is not yet a footwear destination owing to the high cost of production.
“They are designed here but are not made here, and I would explain. It is because of the cost of production here in Nigeria, and the key contributing factor is power. Right now, we have not started manufacturing fully in the country but we hope to do that next year,” she stated.
According to her, Cherry Little Soles intends to fast-track the process of producing in Nigeria by initiating strategies that will ensure some aspects of the value chain are local-content driven.
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“We are trying to put in strategies in place to see how we can produce here or start a phase of the production here. What I mean by that is that we can get the materials and come back to do the final production here,” said Ekelemu.
Ekelemu opined that it is far cheaper producing outside Nigeria. She said that for businesses to thrive in the country, the government should help entrepreneurs and start-ups with constant power supply.
“We need constant power because most times we need the light for 24 hours because there are people in the factory producing round the clock. When we have constant light, I think that is going to help us scale up,” she stated.
Cherry Little Soles, according to her, plans to diversify its product lines into other aspects of the fashion industry. “I love fashion, so anything you can think about fashion–shoes, clothes, bags, or accessories—is welcome. But children shoes are just the first aspect that I am starting with. Very soon, Cherry Little Soles will diversify into the other aspect of the business including children’s bags,” she concluded.
SEYI JOHN SALAU
