Ntah Frankline E. is the CEO and co-founder of EChub, an engineering venture comprised of young, skilled and talented youngsters procuring solutions to Tech and Engineering problems. He is an undergrad of Electrical/Electronics Engineering at the prestigious Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, a level 3 certified HSE officer, Public Speaker and a Techpreneur.
Frankline is an Ambassador of the National Engineering Science and Tech Essay Competition (NESTEC) being one of the winners of the 2019 edition with his work titled “USE OF BIOGAS IN RELEVANCE TO THE NEEDS OF THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY”.
His love for learning and good will have earned him numerous recognition even outside of the engineering scene. He has featured on Merchant Time Magazine, Vanguard and the Nation newspaper.
Frankline, when he is not engage in engineering activities, is a content creator, a columnist and a spec in Digital Marketing.
Engineers’ Forum talked to the Lead Team of a group of young Nigerians who want to combine the visions of the founders of Apple, Tesla and Microsoft to build a new Africa. Sit back and get inspiration from the new generation of Nigerian youths.
Congratulations on your successful unveiling of Echub to the world. What’s Echub all about and how did the vision come about?
Thank you so much and I would also love to extend my gratitude to Engineers’ Forum that graced the event.
Echub is an Engineering and Tech start up that is on a mission to create an enabling environment for the application of emerging Technologies in resolving challenging issues using efficient TECH approach. We operate on three different subsidiaries;
EChub Services: Echub services is a subsidiary of Echub Africa that provides client with qualified and professional artisans. We are a to-go platform that provides people, business and organizations with safe, fast and convenient way to artisan fixing their problem and also rendering full follow-up on repair, installation, maintenance and verification services.
At Echub Services, we also created a digital platform called the ENGINEERING TECH CONNECT, ETC (Soon to be available on Play Store & Apple Store) which is user friendly and can be accessed by even the most illiterate one. ETC is a mobile application which can organize and assign the artisans to a client.
Our main services at Echub Services are installation, repairs, construction of Electricals and Electronics. We also do plumbing, carpentry and other general labour.
Echub Education: Nigeria (Lagos) is home to the largest Tech Hubs across Africa but we still sit behind in the World’s rating because only a minimal percentage of the vast population are informed on digital literacy, technical skill acquisition and technology advancement. EChub Education, In our commitment to curb all of these underlying problems, set up undergoing educational campaigns; TECH SYMPOSIUM and YOUNG TECHers. The TECH SYMPOSIUM focuses on artisans and those who wishes to be digitally inclined while The YOUNG TECHers focuses on kids in the Primary and Secondary level, giving them a taste of Technology through SCRATCH programming languages, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Lego Robotics and even on non-digital skills such as installation and repairs. By this, we have increased the zeal and commitment of every Nigerian youngster to believe in dreams and not cybercrimes. The grass root education is aimed at producing for Africa, Technocrats who are experienced and exposed internationally. This will help them become more inclined to the global average standards and increase the urge to solve problems.
Echub Solutions: Echub Solutions, a subsidiary of Echub Africa is a venture committed to creating innovative, interactive and intuitive solutions to common problems associated with the economy and living in general. We are a to-go venture that provides people, business with safe, fast, comfortable, convenient and innovative solutions to go about everyday living, filling the gaps of limitations in the TECH setting in Africa. We deliver not based only on the majority but also minority needs. We are committed to solve even the “smallest” problems. Our solutions are unique and affordable by the minority.
We are charged to create and innovate on already existing indigenous technology and limit the rate of import especially of electronics from foreign countries. In the virtual setting, we employ digital means to reach our target market via the Echub service’s Tech Connect where we track and analyze reports from them on basic technological solutions they dearly need. In giving back to the society, we train kids through the Echub Education platform in order to create a lasting future of technology and increase the need to solve problems.
We are soon to launch a very mighty project; “SPACE EC”. I love to tell people it something as big as SPACEX if not even bigger than, because here we are targeting to raise millions of Elon Musks. We are currently sourcing for sponsorship and partnership as regards that project currently and it is still a process. Until it is ready to launch, it will be seen as a process.
Echub today started as an initiative with basically three problems in mind to solve.
Firstly, the poor attitude to Handy men and artisans especially from boss and top MD’s
paying to mind, my first experience with students in my first year at Yabatech, we had those who were skilled but could not get to earn much even after working so hard because they were working under a boss. So we wanted to create a platform where they can work independently and earn.
Some couldn’t get to reach clients, we help them reach high paying clients, not just mere clients
From this point also, I would like to draw attention to one of our visits to a top private school in the mainland, ADAK GROUP OF SCHOOLS. We were engaged in a very serious discussion with the principal where he expressed his thoughts on artisans in the UK where he just returned from. He had said being an artisan is a very lucrative job if handled by engineering companies like ours. This is why we set up ETC (Engineering and Tech Connect) which is not just a company set up but also a community of these folks….
Secondly, highly level of STEM deficiency in this part of this world. Let me not even say much on this, you understand better. Echub Education was set up for this.
Thirdly, the publication of March 6, 2019 shows Prof.Umar Garba Dambatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) stressing the fact that over 75% of electronic products imported into the country are irreparable and toxic junk. But as expected, the Government loves to seek solutions that are very costly. They don’t solve problems permanently. The best solution was to encourage local production or rather, I would say indigenous production of these technologies.
For this reason, Echub Solutions was set up.
And so that leads us to our three subsidiaries; Echub Services, Education and Solutions.
The entire management of EChub is made of undergraduate students of Yabatech. How were you able to form synergy and come up with the idea of a company like EChub?
Well, you will be correct to say Echub was/is an idea of undergraduates of Yabatech which also directly forms the Management team. The co-founders are Omowole Joshua, Vincent Jeffery, and Dogban Makanjuola and together we are looking at the future explorations especially the future of Echub itself. We decided to induct a ”Board of Advisers” which is made up of top professionals in different areas. We have a project manager, we have a senior staff of a top bank in Nigeria, we have a Techpreneur currently based in the United States among others.
The Board of Advisers was set up to act as an auxiliary management team to uphold the standard of the whole Echub.
The synergy I would say came as a result of a common goal. It was easy to identify with one another and share the dream. Echub initially did not start as a company per say. It started as a reading group which was formed in our first year to ensure we passed in flying colours. It was also a group of people who wanted to be innovators. No matter how little, we always had wanted to build one of those great projects we had always seen in the School’s project bank.
I know that some of you have passed through some levels of technical training with certifications in electrical and mechanical engineering and some in other aspects of IT. How do you intend to utilize this broad based resources at your disposal?
Transferring the knowledge. The resources which we have acquired will never be useful until we give back to the society. The whole idea of transferring this knowledge which also is a way of utilizing these broad based resources at our disposal is embedded in Echub Education. And this in feel is the most unique utilization of the resources.
Another method is embedded in Echub Solutions. These resources are now put in place to create solutions for Africans by Africans. This is another great utilizing of resources at our disposal
In general, giving back to the society that have instilled these levels of training is very important and crucial.
You have created many productive platforms to connect, innovate and recreate technology in Africa. What are these platforms and what do they seek to achieve?
Well, we work on three subsidiaries; Echub Services, Education and Solutions which I have explained before and these subsidiaries possess platforms with which Echub wishes to connect, innovate and recreate technology in Africa.
1. TECH UP AFRICA: Committed to empowering 1000 persons per edition with TECH skills
2. TECH SYMPOSIUMS: Organized to discuss trending TECH ideas and innovative means to innovate technology
3. STEM E-LEARNING: An E-Learning Platform with practical videos and assessment on STEM learnings, Digital Marketing, Health Safety and Environment (HSE) , etc.
4. YOUNG TECHers: A community of youngsters who are trained to be problem solvers through Tech inclination
5. ENGINEERING TECH CONNECT (ETC): A hub which will serve as a house of engineers, technicians and Techsters in general.
6. SPACE EC: This is a platform which is set up to increase the zeal and awareness to Technology. It is an initiative which is set up to create many Teslas of the African kind.
These platforms are solely the idea of Echub but we work in partnership with other initiative and startups too to achieve a very productive result.
You are a NESTEC ambassador having won a prize in 2019. You also co–presented a paper at International Conference and Exhibition on Power and Telecommunications, ICEPT under the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, NIEEE students wing. What drives your passion?
A simple belief of seeing tomorrow and be proud of myself for being a contributor.
Another great thing driving me is the belief that it is hard or impossible to contribute to the global economy especially coming from a background such as mine.
In our world, there is a better glory in achieving success through fraud especially from the yourhs and this have seemed to tag the Nigerian youths as lazy, promiscuous and all that. This is a common narrative which the likes of Shola of Paystack, Gbenga of Flutterwave, Silas Adekunle of RI and a host of other young Nigerians are changing. And like I said earlier, it will be a thing of pride seeing myself as a contributor to change this narrative.
Many young people still complain about not having the seed money to start a business. How did you start and what is the place of money and skill in starting a business?
Well, I already gave a glimpse of how we started but further into the story, we developed from just a reading group to developing an idea of solving problems using up to date tech approach.
Here is the thing, money is important and a great tool but the desire to solve problems is even greater, the idea and skill to solve these problems is then the greatest. Money is only a catalyst in the whole process.
Not to get me wrong, money is a very determining factor as I have not seen any business grow without money. But here is the thing, it is a common excuse that there is no money and so people especially youths like myself tend to kill and bury dreams.
Currently at this point where we are at Echub, we have developed the desire, idea and skill. Now we need the catalyst which is why we may at any point in time come on open to investors. Not regardless, we are still open to top brand partnership, sponsorship or even Angel investors. So no matter what, business will always need money at the end to advance.
10 years from now, where do you intend to see EChub?
I see EChub on a global map. At this pace at which we are growing, I believe the future is bright. We would in 10 years’ time be not just a start up anymore but a company with ability to create a solid recognized platform for engineering and technology as a whole.
We envisaged our vision also based by the different subsidiaries. In 10 years’ time, our vision for Echub Services is to become the most sought after Engineering/tech repair and installation Service Company in Africa. Thereby creating over 10,000 customer base across Africa.
Echub Education, in a projection time of 10years, will have African youngsters contribute majorly to technological advancements around the World due to a very high increase of 45% in STEM practices as opposed to the less than 25% from the Statistics of the African Development Bank (ADB).
At EC hub solutions, we hope in 10 years’ time to have built a system that provides solution to problems in every economy; banking sector, logistics, education etc. We have a vision to become the most sort after indigenous TECH Innovative Company in Africa with partnership and collaboration with top companies like Apple, Tesla and Microsoft.
(Laughs)… often times we get asked this question but with a timeline of 6 months, 1 year, 2 years or 5 years. And each time these questions are asked, we would always give reply that looks impossible to achieve but I believe it’s not just dreams, it is a challenge.
