Chukwunalu Lucky Onyema Entrepreneur
- English
What I need help with
My background as an entrepreneur
My current challenges
First, platform cooperatives are new in our corner of the world. So running it to meet the ICA's guidelines of principles is challenging- especially ensuring democratic control. A mentor with knowledge of cooperative development will help in understanding our unique enterprise model and suggesting best "democratically controlled" organizational structure to adopt. She or He will also be of immense help in designing a coordination system for the cooperatives operations. Also, as a student-driven social enterprise, research publications as a means of adding value to the academic ecosystem is path we want to take. A mentor with experience in market research will also play a vital role with suggesting viable research agendas and further assist with supervision.
About my venture
CampusCredit Cooperative Started 2017
Our cooperative (CampusCredit Cooperative) is hinged on research knowledge which establishes that improved financial well-being of students can positively influence their academic achievement- especially in a developing economy like ours. We help our student members save money from expenses using cooperative bargaining and leveraging on the benefits associated with economies of scale. We started offline with just contributing money to purchase FMCGs we consume in bulk, to negotiating cheaper transportation fares for our members from Private transport companies. Now we are evolving online and expanding the scope of our member benefits to include hostel accommodation; health insurance; and other relevant merchandise and services. However the transition is posing expected challenges like 'maintaining a democratically controlled structure'; 'accounting and financial planning'; and 'establishing a central operational process'.
Countries of operation: Nigeria