New reality TV empowers young Nigerians amid economic recession

A new reality TV, Africa Sales Academy (ASA) is set to make its debut. It is the production of SBA Interactive in collaboration with the Olusola Lanre-led Coaching Academy (OLCA), which recently launched the first Nigerian sales reality competition. The winner will take home N3 million.

In a briefing held in Lagos, the producers said their objective is to train Africans, irrespective of age and area of specialisation, to become great sales persons. The programme will kick off in Nigeria before extending to other countries.

Life & Executive Coach and co-founder of ASA, Mr. Lanre Olusola, said that in times of recession, “the best thing to give to an individual is to empower him or her to become the best sales person he can be. In today’s tough economic depressed environment, where organisations are downsizing, we are giving hope and empowering entrepreneurs to create their own businesses and also create employment.”

He added that by creating a “unique platform for training job seekers in a competitive environment, ASA would churn out exceptional sales professionals, who will ultimately be placed in employment at prominent organisations.”

Co-founder and Board Chairman, SBA Interactive, Mr. Segun Akande, said sales competition has been created as a “unique opportunity to challenge and motivate ambitious individuals with a passion for sales towards a progressive and financially rewarding career.”

He stressed that the reality show is “designed to combine the best elements of coaching, recruitment and reality television in a truly unprecedented manner that is not only educative, but also inspiring, empowering and full of fun.

“Unlike random reality competitions, the Sales Academy will, among other consolation prizes for all applicants, mentor, coach and empower every applicant who makes the top 1,000 list, and also have cash prizes for the final 250 participants. The third placed person gets N500,000, and N1.5 million for the second prize winner and a grand prize of N3 million for the over all winner.”

With the competition set to start in January 2017, Akande said, “Our website will be accessible from October 24 this year for those who would want to discover their true potentials and channel it to the appropriate quota.”

Investment banker, Mr. Joseph Edgar said, “A major part of ASA’s competition will be the entrepreneurship training for the top 1000 participants, where 50 entrepreneurs with top business ideas that solve problems locally and across Africa will be further selected

“Furthermore, our plan is to build a sales bank where organisations can go in and get great sales persons for their products and services.”

On why they are partnering with ASA, Leadway Assurance’s Head, Retail General Business, Mr. Tunji Amokade said “Our core values drive our operations and enable us to understand the importance of balance within our environment and the mutuality of purpose. It is this ideal that inspires our commitment to a sustainable corporate social responsibility initiative that enables us ensure a better life for those around us.

“It is on this basis that we see the need to support any initiative that creates jobs and reduces the rate of unemployment and lend its support to the growth of the nation’s economy”.