Jetr Duggirala
My Business Training
Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar
Quick Facts
Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar, nicknamed "Weza," is a hardworking 31-year-old Keke Napep technician from Unguwar Laka, Bauchi State.
Raised in an extended family that prioritized education and entrepreneurship, Abdulkadir successfully earned his National Certificate of Education.
He is a dedicated husband and a father to two young sons.
Driven by an honest local police officer's dedication, Abdulkadir strives to overcome early financial setbacks and build a stable livelihood.
He is deeply committed to generating enough income to enroll his children in quality schools, finance his wife's education, and help her in launching her own retail business.
Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar
Business Goals
Abdulkadir aims to launch an independent Keke Napep repair center named Weza Keke Repairs.
Operating daily from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on a highly accessible main street, his business will provide expert engine servicing, carburetor adjustments, and brake system repairs for commercial Keke Napeps.
He primarily targets male operators aged 16 to 45 who rely on their vehicles for daily income and need quick turnaround times.
Anticipating eight major repair jobs weekly, Abdulkadir plans to offer budget-friendly, flexible pricing and high-quality customer service to build a dependable brand that ensures community trust.
Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar
Business Obstacles
Abdulkadir is a highly skilled technician with seven years of hands-on mechanical experience, but his financial growth is limited because he only owns basic spanners and a hammer.
As Abdulkadir currently lacks the necessary funding to buy advanced tools, he remains stuck working as an employee rather than running his own shop.
He faces stiff competition from established local garages and frequently struggles with clients requesting to pay later,which leads to accumulated customer debt.
Additionally, handling these unpredictable income streams without formal financial record-keeping training makes it difficult to manage his heavy family expenses.
Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar
Vulnerabilities
Abdulkadir is collaborating with Leadership Initiatives to move out of employee status and establish his own tricycle repair workshop.
This strategic partnership will supply his new enterprise with vital tools and capital, including a heavy-duty table vice, a drilling machine, a specialized die handle, and a professional mechanical toolbox.
By providing a secure storage container on a main street, this initiative allows him to safely stock retail spare parts and protect his equipment.
These resources will directly enable Abdulkadir to deliver faster repairs, eliminate costly delays, and build a thriving business to support his household.
My Business Proposal
Throughout the program, we worked closely with Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar to develop a clear understanding of their business goals. Though they have leveraged their skills and years of experience to create their business, they face obstacles hindering the expansion of their work.
Guided by their vision, we created a proposal detailing the infrastructure materials necessary to support the growth of their business. We devised a plan that would allow Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar to optimize their business through a new financial tracking system.
This new budget enables Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar to allocate funds toward essential materials and equipment, supporting the improvement of their services. Effective financial tracking will be crucial for managing increased revenue and preserving assets, ensuring the business’s long-term growth and stability.
My Business Proposal Presentation
As part of the International Leadership and Business Internship, I collaborated with top development experts to strengthen my business partner’s operation and finances.
At the conclusion of the program, my team presented our final proposal to a panel of judges from the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee. This formal pitch allowed us to demonstrate our entrepreneurial skills, showcase our strategic plan, and advocate for meaningful change in our partner’s business.
Our team was awarded grant funding to support the implementation of our business partner’s plan, providing life-changing support that will expand operations, strengthen financial stability, and create new growth opportunities. Over the next year, this grant will help transform the future of their business and improve the quality of life for both the entrepreneur and their community.
Internship Highlights
- Business Partner Meeting
- Visit To The Embassy Of Mongolia
- Diplomacy Briefing At The Egyptian Embassy
- Professional Mentorship
Our business development journey began with a one-on-one Zoom meeting with our partner, Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar, and our Nigerian project coordinator. This initial conversation laid the foundation for strong collaboration. It allowed us to better understand our partner's background, family, goals for the business, and the specific challenges they were facing.
Hearing directly from Abdulkadir Muhammad Umar provided the insight we needed to begin brainstorming practical, personalized solutions. Each morning, our team held focused discussions to refine our ideas, reflect on expert advice from the day before, and adjust our timeline to move our plans forward efficiently.
Throughout the process, on-staff project coordinators and business development experts offered guidance, helping us ask the right questions and turn our ideas into meaningful, actionable strategies.
I had the unique opportunity to visit the Embassy of Mongolia, where I gained firsthand insight into the role of diplomacy in fostering strong relationships between Mongolia and the United States.
The embassy serves as a center for international collaboration, partnering with countries and global organizations to address pressing issues such as poverty, gender inequality, and climate change. Through this visit, I learned how diplomats engage in meaningful dialogue and policy development to create sustainable, people-focused solutions.
Officials from the Embassy of Mongolia shared how they collaborate with local communities to identify needs and implement programs that empower individuals and strengthen long-term development. This commitment to community-driven impact inspired my team and me as we worked to develop our own business proposal focused on creating lasting change.
During my visit to the Egyptian Embassy, I gained insight into how diplomacy shapes international cooperation and development. The experience deepened my understanding of the embassy’s role in promoting peace, fostering economic partnerships, and addressing shared global challenges.
Embassy representatives discussed how their work supports cross-cultural exchange, advances policy priorities, and strengthens relationships between the Egyptian people and the United States. I learned how embassies serve as bridges, connecting governments, communities, and organizations to create innovative solutions for global issues.
This visit broadened my perspective on international leadership and inspired me to think critically about how collaboration, cultural awareness, and strategic planning can drive meaningful progress- principles that our team applied while developing our business proposal.
Throughout the internship, our team had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with leading experts in business and economic development from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
One of the highlights was a session with Carla Brooks, Business and Development Officer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
My team also worked directly with a personal mentor. Our mentor provided us with career insights, project support, and feedback for our business ideas. The meetings we had throughout the week with our mentor provided critical insights from the initial business ideation phase through our project presentation.
With support from Ms. Brooks and other global leaders, including Eric Rosenstein, we refined our ideas, strengthened our strategy, and developed a powerful and polished pitch deck to present at the end of the week. Their guidance helped us take our business proposal to the next level, creating a plan designed not only to launch a venture, but to transform our business partner’s future.