Every entrepreneur in Nigeria has a unique story to tell and usually an inspirational story of how his or her own personal entrepreneurial journey started.
For mentees at the Abayomi Ajayi Physicians mentoring programme their experiences came forth as they shared valuable insights on the impact and benefits of the programme corporate acceleration, and resilience mindset building.
Abayomi Ajayi, Founder/CEO, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos and the initiator of the programme is of the opinion that Nigerian doctors have the professional abilities but may lack the entrepreneurial skills required to take advantage of the country’s medicare ecosystem by creating innovative solutions that will be more rewarding for them.
The Physician Mentoring Programme has assembled successful Nigerians from diverse calling to mentor 12 selected doctors, tapping into the wealth of each mentor’s experience to bring out the best in the mentees. It is a mutually beneficial relationship which involves a more experienced person helping a less experienced person to identify and achieve their goals.
This distinguished team is the resource base that enabled by personal interactions with the mentees drives a new thinking, fuelled by professional and entrepreneurial capacity building to grow a new age Nigerian medical doctor.
One of the mentees Olaniran Olabiyi is currently a National Youth Service Corps member doctor who did his housemanship at the Federal Medical Centre Keffi, Nassarawa State spoke on how the mentoring programme is helping him build his profession.
Olabiyi, ambitious and goal oriented said he aims to harness the map, wisdom, and skills which are profitable for the actualisation of his goals. He plans to use his newfound skills to mentor other medical doctors and leaders.
According to him, I have stepped up to identify my personality, identify the gaps I have in the way I do things. This programme has quickly established in me a new learning and social environment, gaining requisite knowledge and skills, developing a better understanding of the organization I work in and developing leadership skills.
“Apart from learning how to identify and promote myself, I have also learned how to manage emotions and manage people in the emergence of relationships, sharing experiences, mutual problem solving, peer collaboration, and team working skills.
“I would say that this mentoring programme has really influenced and upgraded my professionalism. In terms of my professionalism, I would score 70 percent, because it has improved the way I treat my patients,” Olabiyi says.
Olabiyi added that the emotional intelligence coaching session also developed his ethical perspective, attitudes and behaviour appropriate to circumstances.
“I learnt to appreciate different conflicting ideas and overcome setbacks and obstacles and acquire an open, flexible attitude to my profession.
“It is a programme that should be inculcated into all medical doctors young medical doctors and even it is possible in the ministry of education can put it in the curriculums for medical schools.”
Mariam Ebere Al-Hassan after experiencing some of the issues facing the health sector in Nigeria during her growing years, she became interested in becoming part of the solution and decided to pursue a career in Medicine.
Al-Hassan is a graduate of the College of Medicine University of Lagos, and still with a passion to bring a change to the Nigerian healthcare scene, she currently works with non-governmental organisations providing technical and medical support to the development and implementation of public healthcare initiatives across Nigeria.
“When applying for the mentorship programme, I was in a space that was really confused in my past and my motivations and interests were taking a backseat to my new discoveries.”
“I was really confused as to where I wanted to be. I was not as big as I thought I wanted to be and I kept seeing the same problems and new solutions. And I kept wondering how I will be able to do something about it. And then I saw the opportunity to apply for the mentorship program,” she said.
For Al-Hassan, who has a flair for entrepreneurship and networking, and recently created a financial literacy platform for medical professionals. Through this programme, she has gained more orientations and started to look into healthcare financing, especially health insurance.
“Towards the end of the programme I can say that I am taking my steps towards starting. I never really knew where to start, how to stop. I have learnt how to set actionable objectives. I have also learnt how to communicate with people and how people communicate with me, non-verbal and verbal cues, in the workspace.”
Other mentees that benefited are Yejide Okungbaye, Adeola Fashola, Charles Okeke, Anulaobi Caleb, Anichukwu Rosemary, Adetola Oladimeji, Idaraesit Ndem, Ajibike Gbajabiamila.
The 8 man mentor team which consists of seasoned professionals and captains of industries include Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun; the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, Former President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Nike Akande (CON), Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof.Prof Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe; Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Prof Bomi Ogedengbe; Director General & Chairman, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Abuja, Prof Adedeji Adekunle; the Managing Director /CEO, Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Ltd., Lagos, Funmi Babington-Ashaye, and the Founder/CEO, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Dr Abayomi Ajayi.
