The Will To Build - The Story of Fola Oluwafemi, Lead Dev GoCreatives
The Will To Build - The Story of Fola Oluwafemi, Lead Dev GoCreatives
In the pulsating heart of Nigeria's tech landscape, aspiring innovators face a litany of challenges. From steady electricity to strong internet connectivity and having a conducive environment to work the concurrent impact on innovations and building of tech solutions manifests in delayed delivery and even total project breakdown sometimes.
So it is no wonder that when the right environment is created, tech talents in Nigeria flourish and we see “tech miracles”. A typical example is that of Fola Oluwafemi a 300 Level Mechanical Engineering Student of the Federal University of Technology Akure who is also an experienced Flutter Developer and Team Lead of Development on the GoCreative App and his experience building. We spoke with him and heard his story.
“My name is Fola Oluwafemi, a 300-level in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.
In April 2022, I got a call that referred me to build an MVP project for a startup called GoCreatives. The concept sounded intriguing, and I was all in. But, as luck would have it, our journey hit some serious problems. I'm talking about the regular struggles of a beginner Techie in Nigeria – no stable workspace, teammates scattered, electricity playing hide and seek, and the poor internet, there were times when everything was ready but I would spend hours and hours waiting before I could test. A whole year went by, and we could not ship the product.
Fast forward to September 2023, we found out about Akure Tech Hub. I had started using the space for my other work since July but it was then I suggested we could use it as a team and build our MVP. I made some inquiries and we began. It was a game-changer. Central location, check. A place where we could finally gather, work, and, more importantly, have a reliable power source and internet connection. We decided to give it another shot, vowing to ship something in two weeks. It sounded far-fetched at first and honestly, many people thought we would be unable to do it considering we had not been able to do it before, but we did!
And the major defining factor was Akure Tech Hub's space. The environment was spot on, with constant electricity and internet, and also we were all in the same place so issues could be resolved quickly and our motivation to work was very high. Also we got support from other devs in the community which made resolving bugs easier, another thing was the proximity to school made it easy to finish classes and then get to work in a comfortable space without worries.
In those two weeks, we achieved what felt impossible for over a year and this pivotal shift didn't just make a difference; it propelled my career into a whole new realm of growth. All this was achieved because Gocreatives as a startup had a place like Akure Tech Hub and now with our MVP done, we're looking forward to launching into the market and getting our solution to those who need it.”
The above account just goes to show the amount of positive motion in the right direction that we as a country, Nigeria can have when the right environment for our tech talents to thrive.