Why we’re changing face of businesses in Kano — El-Samad CEO

Alhaji Sammani Adamu is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of El-Samad Group of companies, a firm that has begun reshaping the face of Kano businesses to conform to digitally accepted modules, among other issues. Adamu speaks more in this interview.

Tell us briefly about yourself?

I was born in Kano in the late 70s to a family of entrepreneurs. I did all my conventional studies in Kano before taking up the family business from the grassroots. I did serious research on the way and manner the textile industry in Nigeria was moving which led to the concept of El-Samad Group of Companies in 1997 which I registered in 1998.

What is El-Samad doing differently?

The company has come up with modern methodologies for easing business activities with minimum liability to both the company and its customers. We have been bringing the best selection of products and merchandise to our customers by introducing a mall-like setting with digitized facilities that will ease the way of conducting business as against the traditional processes.

This is a total deviation from the traditional way of doing business especially in our chosen sector. The innovation we have introduced has also established greater trust between the company and our numerous customers on having quality products being delivered to them nationwide in accordance to the digitally accepted module.

Being a pioneering outfit what are the challenges you face?

Challenges are virtually in every business aspect, but here, what we initially experienced was that of demand, but we were able to overcome that by having about six branches across the state dealing in the various ranges of our products.

However, we are also planning to expand our company to other states across the federation for easy access to our business associates in Nigeria and beyond.

How do you intend to sustain your innovation?

This is an investment that deals with multi-dimensional activities, we have engaged various people of different disciplines and as such we have grown to become an entrepreneurial set up. Therefore, sustaining such a venture wouldn’t be an issue, as I have said, El-Samad has influenced a lot of merchandise sectors to an extent that many investments are presently copying from our concept which we at El-Samad consider to be a plus to the sustainability of the business.

How do you perceive the recent move by the federal government in reviving the Kano State manufacturing industry?

Well, I can say this is one of the best things that has happened to the manufacturing industry for ages. Indeed, a successful revival of the industry will mean saving for the nation huge sums of resources that were hitherto going out of the nation.

Let me use this medium to state our support for the move and we will always be ready to give our best to the successful revival of the sector.

We are optimistic that the Kano manufacturing industry has contributed a lot to the nation’s economic growth so reviving it will definitely be a great move forward toward achieving the state’s economic resuscitation as well as that of the nation.