March 31, 2020

Nasiru's big dreams for his small fura business

Staple Crops

Nigeria

In Nigeria the hot season is fast approaching, and for Nasiru Lawal this is welcome news. For Nasiru this is the right time for selling fura-da-nono. In local language, fura-da-nono means sorghum porridge, mixed with milk. This product made from sorghum, commonly known as fura, is a popular product for many in northern Nigeria, due to its many nutritional benefits.

Nasiru Lawal is 37 years old. In the Yankara market, he is one of the few men who sell this product. Selling fura is mostly done by women, especially Fulani women. Nasiru sources fura from female sorghum producers and processors who are part of the Funtua sorghum agribusiness cluster.

Two years ago, 2SCALE piloted marketing and distribution of sorghum-based products in order to develop this market, and promote access to fura products for the greatest number of low-income consumers. By distributing at a crossroad, near a motorcycle-taxi pickup point, Nasiru had a strategic advantage. He was highly visible to people passing by. However he had no strategy to actually promote his business. During the pilot, 2SCALE supported him to leverage his visibility, as well as the presentation of the fura product at his booth.

2SCALE brought me visuals including a banner, a roll up and even transparent containers. These tools had a great impact on my business. Since installing the rollup in front of my kiosk, my clientele has doubled. The branding helped me to attract more customers.

The new branding initiative helped to increase his income, which Nasiru reinvested into his business by purchasing a new blender, refrigerator, and even a motorbike that he uses to travel from village to village, during market days to sell fura. His sales increased to an average of 10,000 Naira on ordinary days and 30,000 Naira on market days. Prior to the rollout of his marketing strategy, Nasiru sold on average only 3000 Naira per day. The increase in customers and income has also increased his ambition:

One of my goals now is to raise enough capital to respond to the customer demand, by making fura more widely available. Because if the demand is not met, they will go to another shop - and never come back.

Nasiru recognises the full potential of his business. Nowadays, his shop is becoming too small to manage his many customers. He wants to expand by buying the shopfronts around him, and offer enough seating for his customers to also eat fura onsite.
Nasiru's ambitions also extends further, with a vision to become a fura distributor for the wider region:

In the next five years, my dream is to make this place a fura-da-nono hub for people in the neighbouring communities, where they will collect fura to sell in their own communities

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