It never really occurs to one how fast time flies, especially in a program with such pace as INSEAD’s. P1 already gone, with all its rituals and here we are mid-way into P2. The program has been so fast, with entirely new concepts which I had never been opportune to learn before and with so many side interests pulling for my attention.
Just yesterday, I was having a discussion with an Indian colleague and then it dawned on me what I had learned over the period of 2.5 months. First, this colleague was someone I never knew 2 months ago, but from interacting with him over the past 2 months, I had learnt so much about a culture and lifestyle that I thought I knew so well but realized that I was only scratching the surface. Then he asked a question out of the blues: “Deji, what do you think the assets of my company are worth?” Without much ado, I asked 1 or 2 questions and I gave him an estimate which, although not accurate, was very close to the correct figure. At that moment, it hit me that I just pulled together concepts from my Finance Valuation and Accounting classes to answer this question. This was a question which if asked 2 months ago, I would have answered, “Do I look like ghost buster?”
Outside of my regular classes, I have watched more Bollywood movies than I expected to watch throughout the entire period in school, analyzed several business opportunities with friends, and I’m now currently working on a real-life entrepreneurship project with a sci-tech scientist here in Singapore and a business idea which a Bulgarian colleague helped conceptualize. These activities have taken me to events where I have met several investors, VCs, and high achievers who keep stretching the goal and making me believe more in my dreams. Indeed, anything is possible to him that believes!
Now, plans are in full gear for the African week and I’m so excited to be part of the team that put this together. What of the fantastic people here in the African Club? We had such a fun time preparing for the INSEAD Cabaret and believe it or not, I realized I could dance Azonto fairly well!!!
As the Christmas break approaches, I must confess that I am looking forward to 3 fun weeks with my family, having no classes or group assignments or cases to read. I really need to catch my breath!!!
I am the author of Scaling for Success: Empowering African SMEs. I am a Partner at Sahel Capital, a food and agriculture-focused private investment firm in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sahel Capital manages the Fund for Agriculture Financing in Nigeria (FAFIN) and the Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA).
I co-lead SEFAA, an impact-first fund investing in agribusinesses that provide direct or indirect benefits to smallholder farmers across 13 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I also lead investments and portfolio management for SEFAA and manage FAFIN portfolios, two of which were recently exited. I am a director on the board of one of the portfolio companies and serve in advisory roles for several startups and SMEs.