Lagos-based Tonys Bootcamp models the reality TV show to raise whiz kids across Nigeria.

By Calista Njoku

Chijioke Nwachukwu, a 17-year old who just left high school and was getting ready to start his tertiary education journey was sponsored by his elder sister to intern at Tony’s Bootcamp one week capacity building training. Upon the completion of the programmme, he said: “I can now write SEO-optimised contents and build a website from scratch.” Akudo, another student at the Asaba Bootcamp, is an entrepreneur who registered for the boot camp to acquire sales and marketing skills to enable her market her business ideas. She said: “I personally registered for the class to be able to develop the ability to market myself properly and the course on business development and the entirety of the training changed my creative depth.”

These were the words of appreciation and testimonials from some of the beneficiaries of the week-long intensive tech training recently held in Lagos. I had a chat with the CEO of Tonys Bootcamp, Mr. Tony Igweh, a techpreneur extra-ordinaire on his project and plans for Nigerian youths.

Video: Tony Bootcamp training session

What is the inspiration behind Tonysbootcamp?

I have often argued that Nigeria’s educational system is not sustainable. The university school system is churning out graduates who cannot navigate the challenges of current labour market. I hear people complaining that there are no jobs, truth be told I don’t think this statement is true. There are loads of jobs. The problem is most graduates looking for jobs today are not equipped with the right skill set these jobs require.

Work has changed so also the skills need for work. So, I thought to myself it is one thing to spot a problem but another to proffer solutions to that problem. People talk about issues and never look for solutions to same problems. I decided to solve the problem by asking myself what am I doing to change the situation and that was how the idea of Tonys Bootcamp came to being.

Who is Tony Igweh? 

I always find it difficult to answer this question. Who am I, though? I am Tony Igweh from Delta state, an Ika man, which means I am from Agbor. A serial entrepreneur failed at many and succeeded at a few, which makes me the best man for the job. I am a tech head/coach, marketing strategist and a business coach. I have worked in some leading techpreneur training companies like Semicolon Africa and the Village. I was the marketing manager for Lagos Continental Hotel for a short period when I left to establish Tonysbootcamp.

When was Tonysbootcamp established and how many bootcamps have you held so far?

We started in 2020 right when COVID 19 started. It started as an online class, which then moved to my house in 2021 as a bootcamp. The first training was in my house. I was living in a two bedroom apartment so I made one room for the ladies and the other for the boys while the living room was for classes. I was cooking, cleaning and taking care of the students all alone. It was rough and tough. After the first class, it took a while before we did the second class. The first few classes were more like a demo, I was testing the waters. In February 2022, Tonys Bootcamp proper was born, that was when we started our first one week luxury programme. We have done five classes so far, three in Lagos, one in Ghana and one in Asaba. Our next series of classes will be Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos.

How many markets are you in? Any partnerships or affiliations?

We are in talks with a company that will help those intending to join our bootcamp pay 25 percent upfront and pay the remaining amount in installments after the training. This collaboration is focused on helping more people join the boot camp.

Who are your competition and what’s your competitive edge?

Every business and tech coach in Nigeria is our competition and they are growing in numbers daily. Our business module is our competitive edge. Our courses are a 360⁰ course. We start with Digital Marketing to Business Development down to Branding before Web Design. This is because we feel the most important skill an entrepreneur should have is the ability to sell. Our most unique selling point is the fact that our students live in-house, in a luxury apartment for the duration of the training. Our coaching style also stands out. We invite coaches from across the world to coach on different tech skills, apart from our core courses, which include Branding, Robotics, Cyber security, etc.

How do you see the tech industry changing over the next few years? Do you think Tonys Bootcamp would continue to impact significantly on the tech industry?

Africa is an emerging tech market and in the midst of it is Nigeria. We are seeing a lot of progress already in the ecosystem of Nigeria, a lot of startups and solutions are also created. We are a generation of wealth and job creators. The e-commerce space is taking off in full force and yes, Tonys Bootcamp is in the middle of all this. We are training a new generation of tech and business minds that will have both employable skills and the ability to start up their own businesses.

What is your counsel for those who want to switch to tech but with zero knowledge or tech skills?

Don’t go into tech because you heard it is a fast and easy way to make money. If you do, in the next couple of years, you might not survive if you still do not have the right skill set. Instead, invest the time and passion to learn the high paying skills in your niche and with patience and consistency, the orbit will be your starting point.

Registration for the Abuja edition has already commenced at ₦250,000, inclusive of one week lodging in a luxurious apartment in the city centre, feeding, unlimited access to Wi-Fi and opportunity to network with like-minded people.

Calista Njoku is a realtor and fashion enthusiast. She lives in Abuja.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.