Hello sir, we are glad you honored our call. In a very quick moment, can we meet you?
I’m Taiwo Aderogba, an indigene of Osun State, and an Alumni of Olabisi Onabanjo University. I am an Economist and Corporate Finance enthusiast. I am also a postgraduate student at the National Research University, Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia.
Moreso, over the years, my career engagements have essentially revolved around the information and communication technology sphere, specifically in the areas of blockchain technology, Data Analytics and web development. It is my desire to leverage technology, economic and financial research in order to address Africa’s underdevelopment strides and contribute to the global sustainability discourse.
How does it feel to be an economist in this present time?
The relevance of Economic policies to the world and Africa in specific, cannot be overemphasized. In fact, this revalidates the role of economists in nation building and global prosperity. It feels rewarding and gives a sense of purpose to be an Economist in the present era, specifically in Africa, as we journey towards the course of economic development. Personally, it re-emphasizes the need to lend my voice to the macroeconomic policy formulation processes, leveraging discussions in small groups and affiliations to macroeconomic interest organization.
Based on your LinkedIn profile sir, we noticed you have been a member of the great Achievers club since 2015; How were you able to merge this activity with academics then?
My academic escapades at OOU, can be greatly attributed to the Great Achievers Club.
The fundamental purpose of the club is basically to contribute to the academic well-being of its members. Being a part of this association availed me the opportunity to interact and network with great minds, who of course, had made significant exploits in their academic pursuit. This in turn served as a motivation and propelled me to aim for the best. Therefore, merging the activities of the club with my studies was not a difficult task, as I considered my alignment with it as an opportunity to excel academically.
Are you still an active member and have you held any significant post in the organization till date?
Yes, I am still an active member of the Club, and I do not intend leaving. I have also served in the capacity of the district coordinator at the faculty level, and as the vice president at my penultimate year.
Also your profile featured the Tradebuza farming and trade; that seems unclear to is sir; can you give us a brief description of the organization?
Tradebuza digitizes contract farming and trade for large agribusinesses and organizations who work with outgrower schemes. They focus on the digitization of last mile operations of these businesses, including smallholder and farmland profiles, farm activities, collections and post-harvest tracking. It has a broad spectrum of clients ranging from large growers, multi-farm corporations, ag-buyers, food conglomerates, ag- financing and insurance companies, to governments and Development Finance Institutions who require key last mile operational data for their agric portfolio risk management to engage these agribusinesses.
You were awarded the Best graduating student in the faculty of social sciences for the 2018/2019 academic session and also the best graduating students in the Economics department that same year; can you explain the feeling back then to us and what impacts it had in your life till date?
Graduating top of the faculty and department was a dream come through for me. In short, it came with a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. Most especially, I was happy I made my family proud. I attaining such status also came with innumerable rewards over the years. Amongst others, a remarkable impact it had was having the opportunity to have been awarded the Higher School of Economics Gold Scholarship funding by the Russian Government. This has indeed been fulfilling and I am very optimistic about the what the future hold!
5.0 is a huge exemplary academic performance; how were you able to pull this through and what is your advice to students who still sees such as impossible?
Amongst other factors, I attribute this to hard work, diligence and time management. I considered the periods of my undergraduate studies as years of intense formation and preparation for the years ahead. These thoughts, by default, were motivating factors for me. Unconsciously, I developed strong eagerness to studies, and passion for knowledge acquisition, which eventually translated to outstanding academic performance.
My advice to students who see this feat as impossible is that they should identify a motivating factor! The phobia for failure was it for me, the uncertainties about what the future holds for me was it also it for me. Hence, identifying the need to excel academically, premised on a motivation, by default, would be a propelling factor for anyone who aims for academic excellence.
A very quick one sir; we have these two questions laid out for you;
A. Which global trend do you feel will shape the Nigerian economy in the next five years?
Global Sustainability Initiative: In recent times, economies of the world have given significant attention to the issues of global sustainability. The recent awareness and clamor for a greener earth have begun to shape the structure of economic systems, as financial markets, investors, and economic agents have become inclined to engage in responsible investments, production and consumption processes. The issues of global warming, carbon emission, human rights violations and good governance practices have now become a critical issue to the society.
In the coming years, ceteris paribus, I expect to see Nigeria giving great relevance to these issues.
B. Can you briefly talk about the impact of inflation (in layman’s term) on economic growth in Nigeria?
In simple terms, ideally, rising prices may be an indication of an economy growing very fast. People buy more than they need to avoid tomorrow's higher prices fuels demand for goods and services, which in turn should translate to GDP growth. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, the revers has been the case as these price increases, which are prompted by positive demand and negative supply shocks, have both failed to translate to economic growth.
Interview conducted by :Adedoja Abraham Abati
For: Veecee Success Stories.
To become a member of Veecee Success stories. You can reach join our group chat through this link.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/LyFK8ihVNdOBXrFTD5VWrJ
Click on the link and it will give you the option to open.
And you can also follow us on Instagram @veecee_success_stories to read more and very inspiring success stories.
Our goal is to ensure we celebrate your success story.