Gavin_Lynn
Gavin Lynn
My Business Training
Auwal Haruna
About Auwal Haruna
Auwal Haruna is a dedicated and experienced gardener from G.R.A, Kano Road, Bauchi, with a lifelong passion for plants and nature.
With over two decades of experience and a degree in Forestry Technology, Auwal dreams of launching his own gardening business, “Green and Natural Heritage.”
His vision is to create a welcoming and vibrant nursery that not only provides healthy plants and trees but also educates and inspires the community to care for nature. Auwal's business is rooted in family legacy and a desire to bring beauty, health, and opportunity to his neighborhood.
Auwal Haruna
Business Goals
At the heart of Green and Natural Heritage are Auwal’s values of honesty, patience, respect for nature, and community support. His nursery business connects people with nature while offering practical gardening solutions and creating jobs.
Auwal envisions opening a vibrant shop that will offer a wide variety of nursery plants, including fruit trees, flowers, and shrubs, along with plant care services such as pruning and pest treatment.
He aims to become the go-to expert for customers who want to beautify their homes or farms and learn how to care for their plants properly.
Auwal Haruna
Obstacles
With 23 years of hands-on experience, Auwal has developed exceptional skills in planting, pruning, pest treatment, and nursery management. He learned the trade from his father and built on it through formal forestry education.
He runs a small nursery where he grows and sells seedlings, fruit trees, and ornamental plants, and is known for offering after-sale plant care, which sets him apart.
Despite his experience, Auwal’s biggest challenge is funding. Limited resources prevent him from renting proper space, buying tools, and expanding his nursery. Unreliable water access and customer awareness also pose ongoing obstacles.
Auwal Haruna
Our Partnership
Auwal is seeking support from Leadership Initiatives through mentorship, business training, funding for tools and shop setup, and guidance on marketing and record-keeping. His goal is to grow “Green and Natural Heritage” into a renowned gardening business that creates jobs and delivers high-quality plants and services in Bauchi.
He dreams of owning a large cashew plantation, building a comfortable home, and sending his children to excellent schools.
Beyond personal goals, Auwal hopes to train the next generation in gardening, sharing the skills and values passed down by his father, and supporting his wife’s tailoring work.
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 brand.
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 Auwal Haruna to gain a clear understanding of their business goals. Though Auwal 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 marketing materials that would support the growth of their business. We devised a plan that would allow Auwal to optimize their business through a new branding strategy.
Investments in a logo and marketing materials, such as signs and flyers, are also vital for establishing a strong brand identity and expanding the customer base. These visual assets help create a consistent and memorable image that builds trust and recognition among potential clients.
Internship Highlights
Our business development journey began with a one-on-one Zoom meeting with our partner, Auwal Haruna, and our Nigerian project coordinator. This initial conversation laid the foundation for strong collaboration and helped us better understand Auwal’s background, family, goals for the business, and the specific challenges they were facing.
Hearing directly from Auwal 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 Ethiopian Embassy, where I gained insight into the role of diplomacy in fostering strong relationships between Ethiopia 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 Ethiopian 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.
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 Gerald Gangaram, a decorated Apache helicopter pilot & leadership expert. He gave us a crash course in leadership and decision-making, breaking down the key elements of what makes an effective leader. His insights helped us think bigger and more strategically about how to position our partner’s business for success.
With support from Mr. Gangaram 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.
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.