25 Aug 2009 |
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A research conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 60 million young people worldwide are unemployed, and are searching for work but cannot find any. 80 percent of them are said to be from developing countries and economies in transition.
In all developing countries across the world, youth unemployment is growing annually at more than 15 percent. Most of our present day educational systems produce job-seekers only but not job-creators and income generators. Many young people today, would rather complete school and go round with their application letters seeking for jobs, rather than being innovative and creating their own businesses. Derrydean Dadzie and his team at DreamOval went against the odds and plunged into the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) world with their own innovative ideas on software development.
DreamOval Limited is a company owned by young entrepreneurs, who provide internet and mobile software solutions to two main areas – transactions Mediation (Mobile and Internet payments); and Mobile messaging services (Mobile marketing, transactional banking).
DreamOval has a team of committed individuals who are passionate about the power of technology and the differences that can be made by harnessing that power. In an interview with Entrepreneurial Filla, Derrydean Dadzie, Chief Executive Officer of DreamOval said, “DreamOval is a tech-solutions firm that specializes in providing secure e-Business systems and platforms. We pride ourselves on the fact that our clients’ problems are just another way to create tech-enabled solutions that drive and enhance their businesses.” The company, he noted, was established in 2007 by four students who were all graduates from Ashesi University – a private institution which among other things, aimed at educating “a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa.” He said as young graduates who had just come out of school, it was quite difficult to mobilize resources to set up the company. But they managed to use their own money, because they believed in the fact that risk taking was part of entrepreneurship. According to them, they used a small office space at Ashesi University and another one at Labone until a benevolent man helped them acquire a bigger one at their present location at Community 16 Sakumono, Tema. He continued that one of their classmates at Ashesi helped them with funds to acquire furniture for the office. Mr. Dadzie, who spoke with so much passion and ambition, said DreamOval is obsessed with the vision of a technologically efficient Africa where e-business solutions facilitate business development and growth. “It envisions a technologically sufficient African continent that will thrive in business ingenuity driven by ground breaking electronic business systems developed and powered by DreamOval.” Explaining further, he said they also envisaged a passionate commitment to the community and plan to make strategic social investments in community development projects globally with Africa as a focal point. “The DreamOval brand will be a high level brand that has strong aesthetic appeal, superior technical attributes and global penetration.” According to them, despite the fact that finance has been one of their challenges, another challenge has to do with the Ghanaian attitude towards things that are made from Ghana. “People have a certain perception about things that are developed in Ghana, without even trying it.” He said despite these challenges and others, the company has been quite successful. “DreamOval’s success can be attributed to the strong team we have here, who are passionate about the kind of work they do and share in the dream of DreamOval.” At the core of DreamOval’s mission is to provide the essential platform for electronic payment processes for Africa. This platform will serve as the nucleus for e-business and secure financial transactions within Africa and beyond. “In addition, we want to be specialist global providers of internet and mobile software solutions mainly in the finance and communication sectors to enhance finance processes which in turn will stimulate trade and create wealth. We hope that through innovation and people-centered products, individuals and businesses would have a compelling technology platform that enables them make decisions to improve their finances significantly and ultimately make Africa and the world a better place.” DreamOval’s organizational culture is simply a dedication to creativity and originality. “We are a driven team, interested in bringing novelty to our business environment as well as a deep understanding of our clients to ensure that our products deliver a differential user experience. The team in itself is fuelled by a personal desire for challenges and personal development. We thrive on the responsibility of delivering a higher level of efficiency to our clients through our products and services, and are confident things can always be enhanced to deliver the most optimum returns.” Some of DreamOval’s products include i-wallet which is an electronic payment platform that enables any individual to securely, easily and quickly make and receive payments using the internet or via a mobile phone. With i-wallet, an individual can seamlessly store and transfer value over the internet as well as using a mobile phone. One of the company’s future plans, he said, is to build a school called “Dreamville”, which will be a state-of-the-art technological complex to facilitate research and development of mobile and internet software solutions globally. DreamOval currently has 9 permanent staff and has over 10 companies and institutions in Ghana and other countries around the world as their clients. Some of which include: Fidelity Bank, Ghana Home Loans, Cal Brokers, International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), and Grameen Foundation based in the United States of America.
By Esther Awuah
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Youth unemployment has become the biggest developmental challenge in almost every country in the world but there is a way to solve it.
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