Kochure, Nigeria’s leading crypto brand on Tuesday, 14th of February, 2023, took its corporate social responsibility (CSR) enlightenment campaign to students of the Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU), on how they can tap into the gains of technology, with the theme, “Powering Next Generation of Nigerian Students through Tech” said the founder and CEO of Kochure, Mr. Pedro Obi. The summit was targeted at creating awareness for students to know their place in the current tech growth in Nigeria and how they can easily find a place for themselves in the multi-billion dollar industry.
In his welcome address, the founder and CEO of Kochure, Mr. Pedro Obi, said the program is one of the various corporate social responsibility (CSR) enlightenment initiatives of the company targeted at creating awareness for students of tertiary institutions on their place in the tech industry and championing the development of solution-based tech products from the ivory towers of learning, as well as creating the necessary support for the students in form of mentorship into the tech industry while offering other financial supports in the form of school fees and dues payment.
According to Pedro Obi, technology is here to stay, and there is no better way to inspire Nigerian youths to take their place in this fast-growing industry than to take the campaign to schools. He reiterated the growth and how much a tech product like crypto has fast doubled and tripled its adoption rate in the web 3 industry, championing and powering many other industries in terms of payment and assets control, migration, and permissions. Even with the current drop in market price, it is more evident that in 2021, the rest of the world has woken up to cryptocurrency, and so also Africans. Fueled by inadequate financial services in the country, something that has been a key reason for crypto adoption across Africa, Nigerians have joined the bandwagon of this vastly adopted means of financial transaction, spiking Nigeria’s growing interest in crypto. With a current daily trade volume of over 50 million bitcoin transactions across the continent and over 20% of that coming from Nigeria, there was the need to redefine the pace and direction through big tech. This was the insight identified by the CEO of Kochure, Mr. Pedro Obi – a vast array of opportunities in a yet growing technological field. It is known that till November 2021, nearly 17.36 million, or 52% of Nigerian crypto investors, allocated over half of their assets to cryptocurrencies. Nigerians started using crypto as a viable alternative to store and transfer assets. There was no question about its adoption happening at a much faster rate than the Naira and Kochure carved a niche for itself within this time.
Speakers from the tech and business industries spoke at the mentorship summit, reinforcing the need for young Nigerian students to tap into the opportunities offered by the tech industry. They asserted that whether the participants were fresh in or out of college or just wanted a career change, breaking into the tech field might feel intimidating. However, no matter their experience, finding tech jobs could be easier than they imagined. The speakers explained that not all tech jobs required a four-year university degree, and not everyone that had read a computer-related course ends up in tech. They identified various entry-level roles in tech that could be a great fit for the students, based on their experience and skills.
Some of the entry-level roles the speakers identified included:
- UI/UX Design
- Product Management
- Crypto Evangelism
- Data Analysis
- Social media strategist
- Software development
As part of his pep talk to the students, Mr. Pedro Obi recalled, Kochure today, now widely recognized as one of Nigeria’s fast-growing cryptocurrency apps began when he, the CEO, was a young comrade involved in student activism back at the university. He was involved in NANS activism and was very vocal about it, identifying avenues for convenience for the campus students, which gave birth to the idea of a fintech solution. The fintech app idea was basically to help the Delta State University, DELSU students, where the co-founders of the app were studying at that time, pay their bills, send money, and purchase airtime- the very basic financial needs.
However, only in the year 2021, after the immediate fatalities of the Covid-19 pandemic, the founders took the bull by the horns to incorporate Kochure as a homegrown cryptocurrency exchange, with the primary goal of meeting the local cryptocurrency needs and expanding into other parts of Africa and other parts of the globe.
Since 2021, those humble numbers from just the founders have grown to a 20+ Team base, a vibrant management team, and over 100,000+ transacting users. Kochure today has become the brand of choice for many geeks and crypto users looking for the fastest and safest way to buy, sell, store, and accept cryptocurrencies from various wallets and vendors.
During the summit, the students were matched between their course of studies and the closest tech skill and career path they could assume. This erupted an enthusiastic interest from the students as many of them saw their place in tech and the easiest path for them to gain entrance into this great industry. There were several break-out sessions where the students asked questions to clarify their doubts about finding their place in tech and the speakers did justice to their questions.
Corporate Social Responsibility
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, the sponsors of the Students Mentorship Seminar SMS 1.0, Kochure at the end of the seminar announced various prize giveaways to the participants of the event, awarding free scholarships to five (5) of the indigent students as well as payment of faculty dues to 40 other indigent students. Other prizes in value include free e-learning and enrollment into Kochure’s Tech Mentorship Club for fifty (50) students with a post-training internship opportunity for the best students.
According to CEO, Mr. Pedro Obi, it was a delight to watch the students of the same institution from where the idea of Kochure was birthed rise in delight to embrace the gains and opportunities of tech. It was a delight to see us give back to that prestigious institution. And as we continue to grow, we hope to God to make this a continuum, at least yearly, he said. “Understanding what Nigerians need has further inspired us to keep improving our services, while we hope to remain relevant to Nigerians and the tech industry, striving to offer more flexible features on our platform and continue to give back to our beloved society.”
As part of its growth plans, Kochure recently launched its unique P2P feature, allowing users of the crypto app to now deposit and withdraw seamlessly without any fears steaming from the government restrictions on crypto-based transactions in the country recently. Kochure has also listed close to 60+ coins on its app to accommodate more crypto users and has recently launched its Kochure Academy to continue to educate youths and other tech enthusiasts on the gain of tech and cryptocurrency.
It was a great delight to witness other great personalities come to witness the closing aspect of the seminar, including the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Student Affairs, Hon. Engr. Jerry Ehiwarior, the NANS President; Comr. Usman Umar Barambu, who flew in from Abuja, and other members of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS.
The summit rounded up with a vote of thanks from the SUG President, thanking the organizer at Kochure for the kind gesture in espousing the students to such great knowledge about tech and also rewarding them with other financial benefits for being participants of the events.
To be a part of this event in the future, or give a shout-out to Kochure, kindly shoot us an email at: hello@kochure.com, or follow us on all social media @KochureGlobal. And download the Kochure app today to seamlessly buy and sell your Bitcoin in seconds!
