An international nongovernmental organization that focuses on business and leadership mentoring aimed to connect different generations of leaders to create platforms for effective mentorships will hold their annual summit in Lagos this weekend. The 2023 International Business Summit which promises to raise the bar in cross-generational mentorship matching aims to create a conducive platform for three generations of business leaders to meet, greet, interact and share ideas. The Summit which comes up on the 4^th and 5^th of August 2023 has the major objective of bridging the knowledge gap between the older generation of business people and the younger ones to foster better understanding between the place of earned experience in business and modern innovations.

Global Menthorbridge, has in the last few years been involved in connecting generations by sharing ideas on business succession plans, experiential knowledge, the role of the internet in business disruptions, and skills upgrade for older generations of business people. The event which is the third in a series of international business events by the organization was inspired as a response to the growing need to bridge the knowledge gap between older generations of business leaders and young entrepreneurs to enable smooth cross-pollination of ideas, knowledge exchange and networking in ways that fosters the building of sustainable businesses.

With the high level of disruptions the internet of things (IoT) has brought to business, older generation of business leaders need to have a grasp of the fast changing business environment, while the younger generation can do with time tested knowledge, experiences, and know-how that has worked and continue to work for the older generation, that is basically what Global Mentorbridge is out to achieve, so says the convener, Ms. Jane Oma, a Spain based change management expert.

Read also : Establishing Your Business in Singapore as a Foreigner: Experience as a Startup Lawyer Bridging Africa and Asia

The event has a lineup of participating business leaders across generations to be headlined with Prof. Olusegun Sogbesan, Maria Carolina, John Obidi and Dr. Jekwu Ozoemene among others speakers. The panelists are drawn from both big and small business owners in Nigeria.

According to Jane Oma, building bridges to link all generations of business leaders became necessary for sustainability and transfer of knowledge. She pointed that from a study covering nine years carried out by her team, “for the first time ever, there are now 3 generations of business leaders and corporate executives in the business environment. The ones in their 60s and 70s, the ones in their 40s and 50s and the one in their 20s and 30s, then there are the new entrants in their late teens”, she added.

“With multiple generations now building and leading businesses, it is imperative that we ensure the right knowledge, skills, lessons and insights are seamlessly shared and transferred so as to keep our business ecosystem sustainable.”

This becomes even more imperative against the backdrop of the fact that only 1 percent of businesses in Nigeria survive up to the third generation, while about 5 percent survive to the second generation.

Aside the harsh economic environments, lack of access to capital, poor business practices and transition of micro-businesses, knowledge gap is a major impediment to business growth in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. And this is why Global Mentorbridge provides the platform for crosspollination of ideas and knowledge sharing.

This event, according to the organisers looks to have an assembly of brilliant minds and inspiring leaders across different divides who would gather to harness the power of trans-generational experience and networking for success in business and life on the whole.

REad also : African Fintech and Web3 Leaders to Convene at the Africa Money and DeFi Summit in Ghana

“Our goal is to build a global platform that will help experienced business leaders and startup founders – no matter the age, foster meaningful connections, network, knowledge and skill exchange, as well as to encourage the use of mentoring as an effective tool to build bridges,” she said.

On the expectations from this year’s event, Ms. Oma said that the event is basically designed to promote sustainability and knowledge transfer across generations, sectors, and geographies through mentoring, reverse-mentoring, and purpose-driven networking, adding that “It would be deemed successful if we are able to get a minimum of 300 business leaders, management executives and Startup founders to register for and attend the event and then connect, share with and learn from each other and subsequently build mentoring and reverse mentoring relationships amongst themselves.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry