I was on a team that implemented an ERP for an Oil and Gas company. When we first arrived, a senior manager was a bit apprehensive because he was expecting to see "white faces" on our team.
This was a nagging issue with them, until they saw us deliver.
This was a nagging issue with them, until they saw us deliver.
I know a bit about corporate Nigeria. If you want your proposal to go through (especially in the financial services sector), have one or two oyibo people on your team. The oyibo team member doesn't need to talk. Bankers like see oyibo people.
One of my colleagues told me a hilarious tale: an oyibo person was flown in, on questioning him, they found out he had no idea of the subject matter; but that was okay for easily impressionable bankers.
Another colleague (a foreigner married to a Nigerian), was often drafted on teams to defend proposals she knew nothing about.There's a great deal of inferiority complex and a "need to impress" in the corporate financial services sector in Nigeria.
If you don't have the skin colour advantage, an American or British accent helps.
For all our bluster and loudness, we are not a self-confident people. We don't believe in ourselves or people who look like us, or talk like us.
For all our bluster and loudness, we are not a self-confident people. We don't believe in ourselves or people who look like us, or talk like us.
