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Oladapo Bakare, Current Fellow
- Year
- 2009-2010
- From
- Nigeria
- Sector
- Mobile Technology
- Location
- Nigeria
- Degree
-
2010 MBA and SM, System Architecture and Engineering
"From the age of 15, when I left my family in Nigeria to start college, I knew I wanted to become an engineer and develop novel concepts to tackle poverty . . . [My project] is a viable for-profit business idea that will greatly aid Nigeria to catch up with the rest of the world through globalization – the powerful mechanism that has shaped India and China."
Oladapo’s venture will capitalize on the power of technology to promote entrepreneurship in Nigeria. In this nation of 146 million, steeped in oil revenues, high IT costs and infrastructure deficiencies prevent entrepreneurs from accessing global innovations. To tackle these challenges, Oladapo will create affordable and accessible network devices able to withstand existing poor IT infrastructure. In addition, Oladapo will design an innovative web portal, accessible at Nigeria’s ubiquitous internet cafes, where entrepreneurs will use collaborative online software services to form networks better able to tackle social problems. A current MIT student, Oladapo has designed an independent research study focusing on the role of technology in developing and sustaining entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa, thereby deepening his knowledge of the technological challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the region. Prior to matriculating to MIT, Oladapo was a lead design engineer with Intel Corporation where he used online tools such as shared databases and web conferencing services to interact with global teams.
