by Benson T
Africa’s problem of youth unemployment has spiraled in recent years. To compound that, the formal sector has increasingly become unable to provide jobs for a growing number of qualified job seekers.
In the face of these, youth have looked to entrepreneurship to better their economic outlook. But most of these young entrepreneurs want to do more: create opportunities for other youths. The continent is full of inspiring stories of youths creating jobs for their peers.
One such story comes from Nigeria’s Abdulwaheed Alayande and Trep Labs. The young entrepreneur’s idea for the society has grown to employ several young people.
The startup provides for an innovation lab where young entrepreneurs work on projects looking to tackle various health problems on the continent.
Their work involves building low-cost hardware products that help health providers in their work. How did this vision start?
An idea has grown
According to Alayande, the idea sprung up after he heard of the high mortality rates among pregnant women and babies. Nigeria recorded very high numbers of these cases in 2019, largely due to high blood pressure. Many deaths were also attributed to improper manual infusions.
eTrep Labs built its RealDrip, a device that automates the infusion process. The device monitors drip flow, dose administration, and that whole treatment process. According to him, no woman or their new-born babies should die from an entirely avoidable incidence.
Abdulwaheed Alayande launched Trep Labs in 2019. In the short time since Alayande has won the Anzisha Prize. The company has secured a partnership with the Institute of Medical Research (NIMR). Currently, Trep Labs provides full-time employment to 4 staff and offers internships to two others.
Alayande urges the youth to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship to provide job opportunities for fellow young people.
