Meet Young Entrepreneur, David Adefunmilayo Founder Of Efico Resources, His Company Provides Career Mentorship & Digital Skills Training For The Youth

David Adefunmilayo, a youth corper, has set up a business named Efico. He’s an innovative young man, who’s building up the Youths through digital trainings and also helping in developing their talent, and many more.

David Adefunmilayo has potentials and his business is highly prospective. He speaks to Elorasblog in this interview.

Please tell us a bit of your background?

I grew up in Mushin, Lagos, Nigeria, from a family of 4 and the last child. I graduated from a Petroleum Training School in Delta State, and after that, studied Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Lagos.

I have worked with some tech start-ups and the Department of Petroleum Resources, the regulator of Nigeria’s oil and gas resources for about two years. I started my social enterprise during my 4th year at the University of Lagos. I spent two years after graduation investing my time and resources, upgrading my skills, and finding myself before being deployed for my NYSC in October 2021 (which I am on presently) where I am scaling my impacts and working on various projects that combat climate change in Africa.

What motivated you to start up Efico?

Two things motivated me to start Efico:

A student at the University of Lagos killed himself because he was studying and having low grades in the course he didn’t have an interest in.
The pain of seeing graduates saying “school is a scam” because most of the things they learned in school aren’t applicable in the real world.

My passion consolidated when I realized that most of the things being done in the oil and gas industry regarding the nature of the work and the environmental effects didn’t align with my interest.

Please tell us more about the services your company provides?

Digital skills training: where we equip individuals with digital marketing, coding, data analysis skills, and the likes.
LinkedIn and CV optimization
Career mentorship for those who have roadblocks in career decisions and development.
Career and business consulting/mentorship for students and fresh graduates.
Talent development/recruitment to firms that need their services.

Photos of David Adefunmilayo ‘s during training section wuth his students

How did you come up with this business idea? What was the inspiration?

It was borne out of the urge to develop my leadership skills. In my 400 level at the University of Lagos, I realized that the course I was studying was not meant for me (this was funny to many people because I was in a first-class). But I was convinced I would do far better in some other endeavors.
I started honing my skills in business, and when I witnessed the suicide and the “school is a scam saga,” I realized I could create a business case out of it while addressing the social issues that trends in Nigeria and Africa at large.

Why did you choose the name Efico?

When I was in secondary school, I was called that because of my outrageous scores in mathematics tests and exams scores while in secondary school. I can remember scoring 19/20 while the next person scores 7/20. I enjoyed mathematics, hence the name my classmate calls me, EFICO.

You help students stay up-to-date with the digital trend; how do you achieve this?

By understanding, seeing what is relevant in the world of work, and researching the skills and resources needed to equip students to adapt to the wave of change, we prepare students and make them stay afloat.

When we were younger, we had dreams of being in a different profession. Would you say this is what you’ve always wanted to do?

As I got exposed to life, my career decisions changed as I went. What I do today is never premeditated. As I forged ahead in life, I realized that I saw new obtainable ventures and was always ready to learn and leverage them.

In Nigeria, talented entrepreneurs hardly get support from the government; what can you say about this?

Well, I have been taught never to rely on the government. I grew up in the “slummest of slum” in Lagos, mushin, and I learned grit and determination. It has been leading me through without relying on the government. By and large, I was fashioned never to depend on the government. However, entrepreneurship would be less stressful in Nigeria if we could get an enabling environment from the government.

Where do you see Efico in 5 years?

Efico will be one of the top voices in education, training, and research. This year, I will be acquiring knowledge from my master’s in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology in the Uk through the commonwealth scholarship. I look forward to harnessing that knowledge for good to achieve that goal of being a top voice in this industry.

What is your advice for the youth out there who want to be entrepreneurs like you?

Do not follow the crowd, find what makes you tick and focus on it till the end. People might say awful things about you. That’s okay, it’s your race not theirs. Everything will make sense to them when you start achieving some milestones and feats.

My last words to you would be: people call it stupidity when you make some decisions and fail but they calls it courage when that decision makes you successful. So, any decision you make better be sure you are doing it for yourself and your future not them. And for those towing entrepreneurial paths like me, keep on keeping on. It will make sense in the end!

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com