Ruth Hassan is a Nigerian entrepreneur and business strategist dedicated to driving growth and creating jobs through innovation and digital transformation. As Founder and CEO of ANOCS Consulting, she leads initiatives that equip young professionals with in-demand skills while helping startups and SMEs scale sustainably.
With over a decade of experience across real estate, technology, and consulting, Ruth has shaped business strategies that generated billions in revenue and empowered thousands of workers. Her mission is clear: to build Africa’s future workforce through entrepreneurship and digital enablement. In this interview with Chisom Michael, Ruth discusses her journey, the impact of ANOCS, and how entrepreneurship and digital skills are driving job creation across Africa.
You’ve built your career around helping businesses grow and create jobs. What motivated you to focus on entrepreneurship as a tool for economic empowerment?
My motivation came from experience. I graduated with a third-class degree, something that often closes doors in Nigeria’s job market. My first sales job didn’t just give me employment; it gave me a way to create value, build confidence, and learn how business truly works. That single opportunity changed the trajectory of my life.
I realized that many young people like me only need access, mentorship, and the right skill set to unlock their potential. Entrepreneurship, for me, is that multiplier, it doesn’t just change one life, it creates ripple effects that impact families, businesses, and economies.
ANOCS Consulting and ANOCS Academy have trained thousands across Africa. What gap did you see in the market that inspired their creation?
I saw a major gap between what young graduates were learning and what the job market actually needed, especially in tech and sales. Companies wanted results-driven professionals who could grow revenue, but schools weren’t equipping graduates with those commercial or digital skills. ANOCS was born to bridge that gap.
Through ANOCS Consulting, we help businesses build sales teams that perform. Through ANOCS Academy, we train the next generation of African sales and growth professionals who can thrive in global industries like SaaS, PropTech, FinTech, and HealthTech.
How do you measure the real impact of digital-skills training on job creation and business growth in Africa?
We measure impact in two ways, employability and business results. On one hand, over 70% of our graduates secure jobs within three months of completing our programs.
On the other hand, partner companies report up to 25% increases in sales performance after onboarding ANOCS-trained professionals. To me, that’s the real definition of impact, when learning directly translates into livelihoods and measurable business growth.
You’ve worked across multiple industries like real estate, consulting, technology, and logistics. How have these experiences shaped your approach to business strategy?
Each industry taught me something different about people and performance. Real estate taught me persistence and relationship management. Consulting taught me how to think in systems. Technology taught me the power of data and automation. Logistics taught me to value process and execution.
Today, I bring all of that into ANOCS, we build strategies that are people-centered, data-informed, and execution-focused.
Many startups struggle to scale beyond survival. From your experience, what are the most common mistakes small businesses make when trying to grow?
The first mistake is thinking growth is just about marketing. It’s not. Growth is about structure. Many startups don’t build internal systems early enough, such as processes, sales enablement, or people development, and they eventually hit a ceiling.
The second is underestimating sales. Too many founders build great products but fail to build the commercial engine that sustains them. That’s why ANOCS focuses so much on sales leadership. Without revenue, innovation can’t survive.
You led initiatives that generated significant revenue and built internal talent pipelines. What lessons from that experience still guide your work today?
One key lesson: people are the true growth strategy. Every metric, whether revenue, expansion, or market share, ultimately traces back to the quality of the people driving it.
That’s why ANOCS focuses on developing both skills and mindset. We train professionals who not only hit targets but also think critically, collaborate, and adapt to changing markets.
The partnership model you’ve built with NYSC and business schools across Africa is quite forward-thinking. How important are such collaborations in building a sustainable talent ecosystem?
They’re critical. Africa’s talent challenge is too big for any one organization to solve alone. By working with institutions like NYSC, which mobilizes over 300,000 graduates annually, and business schools such as Strathmore and Lagos Business School, we’re embedding workforce development into existing national and regional systems.
These partnerships ensure sustainability, scale, and credibility. Together, we’re building an ecosystem where education meets employability.
You often speak about innovation and transformation. In your view, what does digital transformation mean for African SMEs in practical terms?
Digital transformation isn’t just about adopting new tools; it’s about adopting new thinking. For African SMEs, it means using technology to remove inefficiency, improve visibility, and make smarter decisions.
Sometimes it’s as simple as moving from spreadsheets to a CRM or automating lead follow-ups. The goal isn’t sophistication; it’s effectiveness. Transformation starts when you stop working harder and start working smarter.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in driving business growth initiatives across different markets, and how have you addressed them?
One consistent challenge is mindset, helping people see that sales is a skill, not luck. Another is infrastructure, especially in under-resourced environments.
We address these by focusing on practical, contextualised training and by leveraging partnerships. I’ve learned that real growth happens when you align vision with collaboration and execution.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for ANOCS and its role in shaping Africa’s workforce over the next five years?
Our vision is to train and deploy 5,000 African sales and marketing professionals into the global workforce within three years, focusing on the tech sector.
Beyond that, we want ANOCS to become the continent’s benchmark for sales excellence, where global companies look first when they need smart, driven talent to grow in new markets. Ultimately, it’s not just about jobs; it’s about redefining Africa’s reputation as a go-to source for world-class talent.
