By Laju Arenyeka

Tosin Taiwo may look like your normal 23-year-old graduate. Dressed in Tee shirts and slacks, he can blend into any crowd. However, after graduating from Bowen University in 2011, Tosin chose a path that not many Nigerian graduates would; he started his own business.

He began using his skills as a Computer science graduate to repair computers from house to house before setting up his company, Afribolt Technologies in Lagos. “I never liked the idea of waking up early in the morning and going to work for someone else when I could do my own thing.”

Now as an entrepreneur, Taiwo is also doing things differently. While speaking to Vanguard Learning,he said: “Even though everyone wants to make money,  that is not the primary goal of our business. We use technology as a tool to empower the less privileged, especially the females in our society.

“We noticed that a lot of girls in the rural areas have nothing to fend for themselves after secondary school. Some of them fall prey to peer pressure, and succumb to unhealthy relationships. A lot of them get pregnant and have their futures truncated. But Afribolt is about changing Africa with technology. And the best way to change a continent is by empowering the women.”

Taiwo also lamented the poor quality of computer education in the country. “Technology is what moves any country forward,” he said, “that is the reason why a country like India is doing better than we are economically. But until we pay more attention to technology education in this country, we cannot go further.”

Although Afribolt is primarily concerned with technology, the company is in partnership with other service providers to teach young ladies bead making and wire works. Although computer education is free for young women, students are expected to pay a registration fee of N10, 000 to learn other courses. Interested candidates can email [email protected], or visit the Afriboltoffice at 3rdfloor, 62 Iyana Ipaja road, Lagos.