The specialist knowledge that researchers at the nation’s Ivory Towers possess is an economic value that they can leverage in order to get a foothold in the world of entrepreneurship.
That was the submission of the Guest Speaker, Mr. Ademola Oliyide, at a seminar organised by the Department of Biochemistry for its staff and students on Friday, January 20, 2023.
A trained Biochemist-turned entrepreneur, Mr. Oliyide spoke on the topic, “The Biochemist in the Entrepreneurship World”. He charged Biochemists in particular and academics, in general, to realise that they have what the market needs, and to position themselves to serve it with profit in mind.
“I am happy that we are beginning to think like we ought to be doing from the beginning. Whatever research that the university does is what the business world uses to make money. Why can’t the creators of the knowledge make the money too”, he queried?
The Guest Speaker apprised the mind of the audience to the basics of financial literacy as a stepping stone to entrepreneurship and financial independence. He urged them to see financial independence as a possibility that could be attained, if only they are willing to take look more closely into their current skill set and identify gaps in the economy that they can plug with it.
“Your economic security does not lie in your job. It is in your own power to produce, to think, to learn, and to create. With your current skill set, you have the capacity to solve some existing problems. There is a market need that your expertise can meet. Finding it and meeting it with some innovativeness is what entrepreneurship is about. In this digital age of the Knowledge Economy, you can do it. The question is, “Are you ready to do it or not?”
The Head of Department, Professor Aderonke Samuel, appreciated the audience for their presence at the seminar. According to her, it was one of the efforts of the department to equip its staff and students for resourcefulness and relevance in the world, beyond the classroom and laboratory.
Chairman of the DLI Board, Professor Abayomi Okanlawon, represented the Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences at the event.
The Director of Academic Planning, Professor Mopeleola Olusakin, was also present at the event with the complement of staff of the unit.
