Road to Success project launched to help African expats in UAE increase job prospects


Anjana Sankar
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A project being run by a Nigerian is helping scores of African expats in the UAE increase their chances of finding jobs that match their experience and qualifications.

The Road to Success Seminar offers a lifeline for many Africans who have been forced to undertake low-paid work despite being many being highly skilled and possessing prestigious degrees.

Mayowa Adegoke, 34, from Nigeria, told The National that she launched the project to provide a learning platform for Africans living in the emirates, who were often thrown into the deep end when it came to finding jobs in the UAE market.

Ms Adegoke, a popular TV presenter in Nigeria, moved to Dubai in 2019 to be with her husband who was working here.

She said she was inspired to launch the Road to Success Seminar following her own experience of building a new life in the UAE.

“I hear many stories of Africans who have postgraduate degrees and PhDs but end up as cleaners and domestic workers. I wanted to change that narrative, build their confidence, and help them grow,” she said.

“I came to Dubai for love, to a new country where nobody knew me. But look at me now, I am flourishing,” said Ms Adegoke, who also runs a consultancy and media company.

Although settled in Dubai, Ms Adegoke said it bothered her to see how many of her fellow Africans were groping in the dark in the UAE job market, forced to settle for jobs that were beneath their qualifications.

Mayowa Adegoke, 34, launched Road to Success Seminar after she saw many Africans with illustrious qualifications doing low-skilled jobs.
Mayowa Adegoke, 34, launched Road to Success Seminar after she saw many Africans with illustrious qualifications doing low-skilled jobs.

“It was sad to see people were selling themselves short because they believed that was all they could get,” she said.

“The irony is there are many Africans who are doing great. They are super successful and are living the Dubai dream.”

She said she kept complaining about the disparities for more than a year before finally deciding to do something to change it.

“That is how I came up with the idea of a ‘Road to Success Seminar’ and launched it in June 2022 with the sole aim of bringing together people of African descent and giving professional guidance and networking opportunities for those in need.”

Weaving success stories

Since then, several people have reaped the rewards of the events and networking opportunities Road to Success Seminar offer.

John Henry Ugbewanko, 31, from Nigeria, who works as an estate agent in Abu Dhabi, said the seminar threw him a lifeline when he found himself jobless and penniless a year ago.

John Henry Ugbewanko, 31, from Nigeria, has a degree in electrical engineering from the UK, but is currently working as a real estate agent in Dubai.
John Henry Ugbewanko, 31, from Nigeria, has a degree in electrical engineering from the UK, but is currently working as a real estate agent in Dubai.

Mr Ugbewanko, who holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of South Wales, and was a professional footballer for Swedish club IK Frej, came to the UAE in March 2019 in search for work.

“I could have been an engineer or a footballer. But I ended up as a teaching assistant at a school in Abu Dhabi,” he told The National.

However, after finding himself out of work he heard about the seminars.

“That changed my life. I met my boss and he hired me within a couple of days. Now, I am in a very happy place because of RTSS,” said Mr Ugbewanko.

He said all job seekers should attend the seminars to network and find leads on jobs and mentoring opportunities.

“It is changing people’s lives,” he said.

Comfort Babatunde, 39, has a bachelor's degree in international peace and conflict resolution, but could not find any work except as a cleaner and waitress in a Dubai hotel for four years.
Comfort Babatunde, 39, has a bachelor's degree in international peace and conflict resolution, but could not find any work except as a cleaner and waitress in a Dubai hotel for four years.

Cleaner to Salon owner

Another Nigerian, Comfort Babatunde, 39, said she learnt crucial business strategies to run a salon after attending an Road to Success Seminar event.

Ms Babatunde, who has a bachelor's degree in international peace and conflict resolution had to take up the job of a cleaner at a hotel when she came to Dubai in 2017.

“I came to Dubai looking for greener pastures. But my visit visa expired and I had no choice but grab whatever came my way,” she told The National.

After a year, she worked as a waitress in a Dubai hotel for two years.

“My contract expired and I was again jobless. I managed to raise a loan and started my own salon,” she said.

Ms Babatunde said she did not know much about running a business and was struggling.

“Attending the seminar was an eye-opener to me. I got so many new clients and also learnt about business strategies to take my salon to the next level. Today, I have four people working for me,” she said.

Widening the reach

Since being launched, RTSS has organised three successful events with 17 guest speakers from various industries sharing their success stories.

Past speakers at the seminar included some of the most notable Africans in the UAE including Nina Olatoke- founder of the All Africa Festival, which celebrates the continent's culture, Eddie Umar, the first African to have a show on UAE radio, and Magdi Mohamed, a TikTok influencer with more than 55,000 followers.

Ms Adegoke said she is planning to host up to 200 African experts and entrepreneurs at the next seminar, which will take place in late October.

Road to Success Seminar also has a weekly newsletter, with more than 500 subscribers, that shares success stories and professional tips.

“We are also launching a podcast to reach more people,” she said.

“The response has been great and I am glad the platform is expanding to even reach people from other nationalities who are reaching out to us for help.”

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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Bio

Name: Lynn Davison

Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi

Children: She has one son, Casey, 28

Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite Author: CJ Sansom

Favourite holiday destination: Bali

Favourite food: A Sunday roast

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

MATCH INFO

Brescia 1 (Skrinia og, 76)

Inter Milan 2 (Martinez 33, Lukaku 63)

 

Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

How Apple's credit card works

The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.

What does it cost?

Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.

What will the interest rate be?

The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts

What about security? 

The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.

Is it easy to use?

Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision. 

* Associated Press 

No Shame

Lily Allen

(Parlophone)

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

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'Saand Ki Aankh'

Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Updated: October 01, 2023, 6:42 AM`