Llogan_Coleman
Llogan Coleman
My Business Training
Uzaifa Adamu
About Uzaifa
Uzaifa Adamu is a passionate and resilient aluminum fabricator from Bauchi State, Nigeria, who dreams of launching his own business, Zaranda Aluminium and Fabrication.
With four years of hands-on apprenticeship experience, Uzaifa has developed a strong command of aluminum work, particularly in crafting doors, windows, and show glass. He envisions a shop that not only delivers high-quality products but also creates opportunities for others in his community.
His vision is grounded in honoring his late father’s legacy, uplifting his family, and contributing positively to his surroundings. Through dedication, skill, and persistence, Uzaifa is working to make this dream a reality.
Uzaifa Adamu
Business Goals
Uzaifa’s business will be guided by the values of integrity, craftsmanship, responsibility, and community upliftment. He believes in using quality materials, respecting customers’ time, and delivering products that meet the highest standards.
His long-term vision is to build a business that brings success to his family and creates opportunities for others. Zaranda Aluminium and Fabrication will offer expertly crafted aluminum doors, windows, and show glass using high-quality materials and efficient production methods.
It will represent what is possible when talent meets opportunity and stand as a testament to Uzaifa’s commitment to growth, service, and leaving a lasting legacy.
Uzaifa Adamu
Obstacles
Uzaifa has developed strong skills in aluminum fabrication over four years of apprenticeship, but his journey has been shaped by significant challenges. The most pressing obstacle he faces is the lack of startup capital to purchase essential tools and secure a proper workspace.
Since the passing of his father, financial stability has been difficult to maintain, with most resources going toward family needs. Despite his skills, experience, and determination to succeed, Uzaifa continues to work under financial strain while supporting his family.
He balances home responsibilities with career goals, remaining hopeful that support and mentorship can help him overcome these barriers.
Uzaifa Adamu
Our Partnership
Uzaifa is seeking support from Leadership Initiatives through mentorship, startup funding, and essential tools to launch Zaranda Aluminium and Fabrication. He needs equipment such as a drilling machine, punching machine, cutting machine, milling machine, power generator, and hand tools.
He also hopes to gain business training to improve financial management, customer service, and sustainable growth. Uzaifa dreams of building a business recognized across Bauchi State while creating jobs and mentoring young people in his community.
Personally, he wants to buy a home for his family and support his siblings’ education. For him, success means service, stability, and lasting impact.
My Grant Proposal Presentation
As part of the International Leadership and Business Internship, I collaborated with top development experts to help grow and strengthen my business partner’s infrastructure.
At the end 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 apply our entrepreneurial skills, showcase our strategic plan, and advocate for meaningful change in our partner’s business.
Our team was awarded a grant that will fund the implementation of our business partner’s plan, providing life-changing support that will expand operations, improve 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.
My Grant Proposal
Throughout the program, we worked closely with Uzaifa Adamu to gain a clear understanding of their business goals. Though Uzaifa has 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 crafted a proposal detailing the infrastructure materials that would support the growth of their business. We devised a plan that would allow Uzaifa to optimize their business through a new budget and financial tracking system.
This new budget enables Uzaifa to allocate funds toward essential materials and equipment, supporting the optimization of their services. Effective financial tracking will be crucial for managing growing profits and preserving assets, ensuring the business’s long-term growth and stability.
Internship Highlights
Our business development journey began with a one-on-one Zoom meeting with our partner, Uzaifa Adamu, and our Nigerian project coordinator. This initial conversation laid the foundation for strong collaboration and helped us better understand Uzaifa’s background, family, goals for the business, and the specific challenges they were facing.
Hearing directly from Uzaifa gave us 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 guided us, helping us ask the right questions and turn our ideas into meaningful, actionable strategies.
I had the unique opportunity to visit the Malian Embassy, where I gained insight into the role of diplomacy in fostering strong relationships between Mali and the United States.
The embassy functions as a center for international collaboration, working with partner 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 Malian Embassy shared how they partner 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 Embassy of Finland, I explored how diplomacy shapes international cooperation and development. The experience provided a deeper 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 Finland 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 we applied while developing our business proposal.
Throughout the internship, our team had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with top 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. She gave us a crash course in marketing and advertising, breaking down the key elements of what makes a campaign actually work. Her insights helped us think bigger and more strategically about how to position our partner’s business for success.
With support from Ms. Brooks and other global leaders, we sharpened our ideas, refined our strategy, and built a powerful 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.