For many young Nigerians, the path to building a career does not always begin with a traditional 9 to 5. With youth unemployment at nearly 80 million young people, according to the 2025 State of The Nigerian Youth Report, entrepreneurship and self-employment are increasingly providing young people with opportunities to earn, gain experience, and build skills for the future.
For Hakeem, that opportunity started five years ago as a PalmPay POS Agent in Ilorin, Kwara State.
His initial goal was to run a business that served his community while creating an income for himself. But the experience soon became much more than that.
Through daily transactions, Hakeem developed practical skills in customer service, cash management, and problem-solving. His POS business became a platform not only to earn, but to learn.
In a LinkedIn post shared by Hakeem, he stated: “Over the years, I’ve helped customers with cash withdrawals, transfers, bill payments, airtime and data purchases, and countless everyday transactions. Through it all, PalmPay has been the platform I relied on every day.
What has kept me here isn’t just the technology; it’s the trust. When people walk up to my POS stand, they expect transactions to be fast, secure, and reliable. Being able to deliver that consistently has helped me build lasting relationships with customers in my community.”
Harnessing Opportunities To Fuel His Ambitions
Hakeem understood that building a future meant continuing to invest in himself. While running his business, he earned an HND in Accounting, giving him a stronger foundation in financial management and business.
He further went on to complete a training in Data Science and AI-powered Business Analysis, developing more practical skills.
On the surface, these may seem like very different skills, but for Hakeem, they are all connected by one thing: ambition. Ambition for continuous learning, for actively creating opportunities, for using technology to solve local problems.
Supporting the Ambition of Nigerians
Hakeem’s story reflects the many ways young Nigerians are finding opportunities to build their livelihoods and careers. Like him, many youths are utilising opportunities within the PalmPay ecosystem to start businesses, launch their careers, earn income and build towards bigger ambitions.
Speaking on the inspiring milestone, Chika Nwosu said: “At PalmPay, we remain true to our brand promise of supporting ambitions. For us, that means understanding the challenges Nigerians face and providing solutions that enable more people to participate in the economy; whether through access to financial services or offering pathways for growth. We will continue to create opportunities for people to pursue their ambitions, and Hakeem’s journey is a powerful reminder of what that can look like in real life.”
An opportunity to earn became an opportunity to gain experience. That experience became a foundation for further education and new skills. Those skills are now helping him pursue possibilities beyond where he started. Ambition compounds, but it needs a starting point: that starting point was PalmPay.
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